


give a little

by courageinmyconvinctions



Series: Give A Little [1]
Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fake Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, The other pogues are here but not really a big deal, but also fluff, it's a classic couldn't help myself, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:15:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27827374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courageinmyconvinctions/pseuds/courageinmyconvinctions
Summary: charlotte “charlie” walker is a rising senior at the university of south carolina, an exercise science major, a kappa, and is back in the outer banks for the summer. she’s stubborn as hell, isn’t rich enough to be a kook or poor enough to be a pogue, and is used to being in the background. she and jj both go to USC, her sorority and his frat (beta) running in the same social circles but the two rarely speak at school. things change when they run into each other at the boneyard in the summer.
Relationships: JJ (Outer Banks)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Give A Little [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036545
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

It was the first party of the summer after Charlotte Walker returned home from her junior year at the University of South Carolina. Her internship plans didn’t work out so she resorted to working at her family’s ice cream shop at home, back in the Outer Banks, and feeling a little too reminiscent of high school. At least she still had her group of friends from home. 

She was halfway to drunk, just in the mood for dancing tonight. It had been what felt like the longest week ever at work and all she wanted to do was hang out with her girls, ignoring advances from a couple Tourons. 

Just as her favorite Lizzo song came on and she started dancing around with a grin, pointing and singing with her friends at the top of her lungs, she felt a strong arm thrown around her shoulders. She was two seconds away from shrugging the arm off and telling the guy to fuck off when she looked up, confusion crossing her face. 

JJ Maybank, of all people, started singing along with her. He had a half-grimace, half-smile plastered on his face. They had both ended up at USC together, opting to get out of North Carolina and go for the SEC party scene. The two were casual acquaintances at best, their sorority and fraternity often sharing date parties, but they ran in different circles. Charlotte’s best friend, Grace, shot her a questioning glance, the universal ‘do-you-need-help’ look among girls, but she just shrugged in response. “Maybank?” Charlotte questioned, taking his hand and trying to remove his arm.

He smiled wider at the nickname, keeping her hand in his and lifting it, twirling her. “Hi Charlotte-” 

“Charlie,” she quickly corrected. “No one calls me Charlotte but my parents.”

* * *

“Right. Charlie. Just go with it,” he whispered near her ear before kissing her cheek chastely, his eyes trained on someone in the distance. She was so surprised that she flinched, making him chuckle. 

“You’re helping me out here, Charlie, I’m not gonna hurt you.” He laughed, continuing to dance with her. Still confused, but not sober enough to question it, she just smiled and kept dancing with him, one hand still in his. She downed the rest of her beer with a slight grimace and he raised his eyebrows, impressed. 

“I didn’t think you drank anything but Beta’s jungle juice,” he teased. 

“I haven’t had that shit since freshman year,” she retorted. 

He laughed. “Oh, but that’s not what it looked like at the Bama tailgate.” 

“That was....a special circumstance.” She relented, shaking her head. 

He just laughed again. “Uh-huh. Come on, let’s get more for you to drink,” he said, keeping her hand in his and pulling her through the crowd to his friends to grab her another beer out of the cooler. 

JJ tugged on Charlotte’s hand to pull her down to sit in their circle. The Pogues nodded and smiled at her in acknowledgment before continuing their conversation, knowing JJ’s scheme. He put his arm around her shoulders again, using his free hand to play with the ends of her sunkissed brown hair. 

“Maybank, what exactly am I helping you with?” She asked, leaning into him slightly. He glanced back and forth at the crowd of partygoers quickly before returning his attention to her. “Uh...hold on, I’ll tell you in a second.” He continued playing with her hair and she almost closed her eyes, relishing the feeling until he abruptly stopped and dropped his arm from her shoulder. He grinned finally and sighed in relief, looking out into the crowd and nodding out in that direction. 

Charlie followed his gaze and laughed when she saw a Touron huff in disappointment, storming off with her friends after his blatant rejection. “Sorry, Charlie, I needed assistance and you were the first girl I knew.” He offered in a half-ass apology. “But you didn’t seem to mind, did you?” He grinned lazily, tugging lightly on the end of her hair. “Shut up,” she responded, blushing and bringing her hands to her cheeks to hide it. He caught one of her hands in his before she could cover her face. “Don’t. It’s cute.” 

Maybe it was a sudden burst of confidence, maybe it was the liquid courage (on second thought, it was definitely the alcohol). “Maybank, you’re not really going to start flirting with me after you’ve never given me a second thought before, are you?” She asked dryly, raising her eyebrows. He raised his back, considering the question for a beat before responding. “Seems like I’ve been missing out,” he offered with a grin. 

She blushed again. “JJ-” 

“Oh, so you do know my first name!” He teased, shoving her shoulder slightly.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course I do, we’ve gone to school together since we were five.” 

“You don’t act like it, avoiding me at all our date parties.” He countered. 

“Maybe I don’t want to associate with you.” 

A flash of hurt came over him before the smile halfway returned to his face. “You don’t mean that.” 

Her alcohol-induced haze failed to help her pick up on his hurt. “You have a reputation, Maybank, I don’t want people to think I’m just another one of your conquests.” 

“I’m not that bad!” He cried out in protest, running a hand through his hair sheepishly. He at least had the decency to look a little embarrassed. 

“You are that bad,” Charlie scoffed. “We have a list pinned up in the Kappa house of boys that’ll break your heart, and you’re on top, underlined and highlighted.” 

As the party dwindled, the rest of the Pogues had been halfway paying attention to the conversation by them, but Kiara finally spoke up at the mention of The List. She wrinkled her nose. “Oh my god, JJ, you said you weren’t that bad in college.”

“What can I say, the ladies love me,” he shrugged with a shit-eating grin, earning a groan from his friends before Charlie smacked his chest with the back of her hand, rolling her eyes. “See? A reputation,” Charlie repeated. 

“Okay, okay, I surrender,” he joked, putting his hands up in defense. 

“Alright, well, looks like I helped you enough, so I’m gonna get back to my friends.” Charlie glanced around for them and stood, immediately stumbling, her low tolerance betraying her. JJ laughed and stood to catch her, his arm easily wrapping around her waist. She pulled his arm off of her, shaking her head. “I can walk! I’m like, totally sober. I don’t need help.” He raised his eyebrows, gesturing his arm in front of him. “Go ahead, prove it.” 

Stubborn as ever, she took about five steps away from the group before tripping over a root buried in the sand. Kiara shot JJ a glare just before he made a sly remark and he stifled a laugh, going to help Charlie up. “Come on then, I’ve got you.” He took her hand and helped her up, wrapping his arm securely around her waist again and ignoring a whine from her. She pulled out her phone and saw multiple messages from her friend Grace that she hadn’t seen. 

_Grace: are u coming?_

_Grace: do u need rescuing?_

_Grace: why are u with JJ anyway i thought you already went through ur rebound phase_

_Grace: ok I have to go but i’m tracking u on find my friends, call if u need me_

JJ glanced down at the screen and scanned it quickly, then looked away, pretending not to have read the messages - especially the third one. Charlie sighed and looked up at JJ, putting on a serious expression. 

“Maybank?”

“Yeah, Charlie?” He held his breath, bracing for another insult.

“I don’t think I can drive.” 

His shoulders relaxed and he chuckled, fishing her car keys out from her back pocket. “Probably not. Come on, pretty girl, I’ll drive you.” 

She wrinkled her nose at the nickname, but relented, walking with him. “I’m not your girl.” 

“I didn’t say you were,” he smirked. “Was that a Freudian slip, Charlie?” He tried in an attempt to impress her, alluding to their English 101 class together freshman year. She shook her head. “Nice try, Maybank, it’s not.” 

The two made their way to her car and he gently helped Charlie into the passenger seat, careful of his hands as he buckled her in. “Do you know how to get me home?” She asked, reaching over and tugging on his seatbelt once he got in. “I do, I remember the party at your house for high school graduation.” She smiled at the memory. Where she lived, she wasn’t quite a Pogue, but wasn’t quite a Kook - just in between enough to blend in. “I had my first kiss that night.” JJ laughed in surprise. “You had your first kiss when you were 18? That late?” 

Charlie rolled her eyes. “Not all of us made it their mission to get around with the entire high school.” He pretended to gasp, clutching his heart dramatically. “Damn, Charlie, shot after shot to the heart.” He pulled into her driveway, then ran around to help her out of the car before she could get out on her own, placing her car keys in her hand. “I got you, don’t fall,” he said, being extremely careful of his hand placement around her waist again. By that point, she had partially sobered up, but she didn’t mind his touch. 

“Oh, fuck me,” she muttered, seeing the light on in her parents’ room. 

“Charlie, that’s rather forward of you.” JJ smirked, wanting to see her blush again.

“Fuck off.” She blushed deeply and JJ grinned, poking her cheek. She flinched away but laughed anyway. “I need to go, I’m sure my parents are gonna be mad at me, I was supposed to babysit my brother tonight, not sneak out and get drunk.”

JJ nodded. “Alright, good night Charlie. I’ll see you around.” He leaned in slightly, like he was about to kiss her, then changed his mind at the last second. She realized her eyes had almost fluttered shut in anticipation, then shook her head, taking a large step away from him. “See you around, JJ,” she replied over her shoulder before going inside. 

She shut the door behind her and leaned up against it, smiling to herself. Maybe JJ Maybank wasn’t all that bad. 


	2. Chapter 2

JJ had walked all the way home that night with a dopey smile on his face. It took him 45 minutes to get back to his side of the island, but he decided it was worth it to get Charlie home safe. The next morning, he woke up early and was at the kitchen table of the Chateau, scrolling through his phone like a madman. John B ambled out from his bedroom, confused at why JJ was already up. “Dude, you just disappeared last night. Did you hook up with Charlotte?” He asked. 

JJ shook his head, intent on whatever was on his phone screen. “No, of course not, and she prefers Charlie.” 

“Okay…” John B took the seat across from him, intrigued by his friend’s strange demeanor. “What are you looking for?” 

“Look, I didn’t get her number last night, and I found her Instagram but I don’t want to slide in her DMs and be all creepy. So I texted two girls in Kappa that would know her, but I kind of ghosted them after we hooked up so obviously no response there. I even thought about seeing if she’s on Facebook but no one is on Facebook anymore.” 

John B just gaped at him in response. 

“What?” JJ snapped, annoyed. 

“I mean, it’s just...I’ve never seen you like this about a girl before,” John B laughed. “Did you even kiss her?” 

* * *

JJ shook his head and ran his hand through his hair in distress. “Of course not, she was drunk.” 

John B scoffed mockingly, shaking his head. “Like that’s ever stopped you before. Why are you so set on this girl?” 

“Have you seen her? Plus, I want to prove I don’t have a reputation. We go to the same school, we might as well be friends,” JJ reasoned. 

“Yeah. Okay. Friends is what you’re after,” John B replied, dubious, as Pope walked into the Chateau. “Who wants to be friends?” He asked. 

“JJ claims he just spent a good hour tracking down Charlotte on his phone just so they can be friends,” John B told Pope, shaking his head. 

Pope had the same reaction as John B. “I haven’t heard that one before. Did you guys hook up?” 

“Why does everyone assume that? And John B, I told you she goes by Charlie.” JJ replied, going back to his phone. 

“Such a simp.” John B punched JJ’s arm lightly. 

“You’re one to talk, have you seen yourself with Sarah?” JJ snapped, shoving John B back. 

Pope laughed. “You’re both simps, but JJ, you know her family’s ice cream shop is right next to the Wreck, right? Why don’t you just go find her there?” 

“Oh my god, Pope, that’s the best idea you’ve had in centuries! Let’s go.” JJ practically jumped out of his seat, before Pope clapped him on the shoulder to stop him. “You think the shop is gonna be open at 9 am?” JJ slumped back down in the chair with a groan. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Later that next morning, Charlie woke to a couple texts from Grace after she had confirmed she got home safe. 

_Grace: so JJ Maybank took you all the way home and you didn’t even kiss_

_Grace: like, THE LIST JJ Maybank_

Charlie laughed, reading the texts and shot off a quick reply. 

_Charlie: nothing happened, like I told you. he’s not into me like that at all_

_Grace: i just don’t want u to get hurt like u did with rafe_

_Charlie: that feels like so long ago, I’m not gonna let that happen again_

_Grace: i mean it was only 5 months ago, i’m looking out for u ok_

_Grace: and remember this is JJ we’re talking about here, of all people_

_Charlie: I know. talk to you later_

After getting ready for the day and pulling on her uniform, Charlie sighed before looking over her slightly-hungover appearance in the mirror. “Another day, another dollar.” She yelled goodbye to her parents, slipping out the door before they could berate her again for not staying in to watch her brother - even though he was eleven and definitely old enough to be at home alone. Unluckily for Charlie, her little brother Jamie was also old enough to notice her sneaking out and waited up to tell their parents the second they came home from date night. 

Charlie got in her car and inhaled deeply once she realized she could still smell JJ in the fabric of her front seat. After a moment, she caught herself. “Get a grip, Charlie,” she muttered to herself, then drove to work. 

She prepared the shop and just as she was unlocking the front door to open it to the public, Kiara walked out from the Wreck. “Hey, Charlie! I didn’t know you were back for the summer.” She greeted her warmly, waving to catch her attention. They had been friends in high school, nothing close, but close enough for her to know that she wouldn’t be caught dead being called Charlotte. The two had drifted apart once they went to separate schools, Charlie at the University of South Carolina for exercise science and Kiara at the University of North Carolina Wilmington for marine biology, but they kept in touch through social media. 

“Kiara, hey! Yeah, just working with the family business, you know how that goes. Um, sorry we didn’t really talk last night, JJ was-” 

“JJ was being annoying, I know.” Kiara interrupted, laughing. “Trust me, you don’t need to explain about him. He got you home safe though?” 

“Yeah, definitely. Just drove me home. It was nice.” Charlie smiled. 

“Is the list you were talking about real?” Kiara asked. “I hope not, I mean I knew JJ was bad in high school and he doesn’t really date, but he doesn’t seem to really brag about girls when we hang out.”

Charlie gave a slight grimace, nodding. “It’s real. It started as a joke, honestly, but then it turned out to be pretty helpful to know who to avoid. But yeah, JJ’s not at the top just for kicks.” 

“Oh my god, you’d think with all the lectures I gave him and Ted talks I sent him he would know better. I love the guy, but I know how he works.” Kiara shook her head and gave her an apologetic smile on his behalf.

Charlie shrugged. “I think he just flirts too much and doesn’t realize how quickly girls fall for it. I don’t know. Hey, I have to open, but I’ll see you around? We should catch up.” 

Kiara smiled. “Definitely. I’ll text you. Bye, Charlie,” she nodded as she left. 

Charlie returned to behind the counter, servicing a handful of families over the lunch rush until the customers died off around 2pm. The A/C hardly worked in the shop and all the spare fans were pointed toward the ice cream, refrigeration cranked up high, but Charlie was still a sweaty mess. After not having customers for a good half hour, she pulled off her apron and stood in the back, then peeled off her shirt for good measure, wearing her bikini top underneath. She sighed in relief as the cool air hit her skin, leaning against the wall. Her relief was short-lived and she jumped when she heard the bell of the door opening, peeking around the corner. “Fuck,” she muttered, grabbing her shirt again.

JJ, John B and Pope walked in and John B glanced around. “See, she’s not even here-” Charlie quickly pulled her shirt back over her head as she walked out, JJ doing a double take at the sight of her dressing. Pope elbowed John B to get him to shut up and smiled pleasantly at Charlie. “Hi Charlott - uh, Charlie, nice to see you again! I didn’t know you worked here.” Charlie smiled at his fumbling of her name. “Hi Pope. Yeah, um, Walker Ice Creams, my family runs the business. I’m just working here while I’m home for the summer.” 

“Very cool.” Pope nodded, then stepped on JJ’s foot out of view. JJ yelped before Pope shot a glare at him. “Hi Charlie!” JJ greeted, a little too brightly. Charlie quirked an eyebrow at his demeanor. “You okay?” 

“Yeah, are you okay?” He replied, trying to flirt and failing miserably. John B gave JJ a look and mouthed “What the fuck are you doing” to him before turning to Charlie. “Excuse this dumbass. Can I have a cone of mint chocolate chip please?” “And I’ll take a cup of the cookies and cream,” Pope chimed in, trying to cover for JJ’s weirdness. JJ scanned over all the flavors, watching as Charlie scooped for the two of them. 

“Do you want anything, Maybank?” She questioned, and it was like a light had flickered on in his brain at the sound of the nickname. “What’s your favorite flavor?” He asked. “The chocolate fudge brownie. I have a big sweet tooth though, so it might be too much,” she shrugged. “I’ll take a cone of that, please. I love chocolate. And, uh…” he paused, before feeling his wallet in his back pocket. “I’ll pay for all of us.” 

John B and Pope whipped their heads over in surprise. “It’s okay, JJ, we can pay for our own-” Pope offered before JJ cut him off. “Nope, I got it! My treat. You’re welcome,” JJ responded, talking through gritted teeth with the last words. Charlie rang them up after handing out their ice creams. “Thanks again for taking me home last night. I obviously hadn’t planned on being too drunk to drive.” JJ waved his hand. “It’s no problem, I just wanted to be sure you were home safe. Are you coming to the next Boneyard party?” 

“You guys already have another one planned? When is it?” Charlie asked and JJ panicked, looking over at John B and Pope for assistance. “Uh, this Friday?” John B said questioningly. “Yeah, exactly, this Friday. You should come.” JJ grinned. “Yeah, maybe.” Charlie responded, seeming uninterested. JJ frowned a little at her response. “Right, well, I’ll see you around then.” 

The three of them walked out and immediately started arguing out of Charlie’s earshot once they got outside. Charlie didn’t notice, cleaning up, til Pope came back in a moment later with a crumpled up napkin in his fist. “I think you dropped this,” he said as he set it on the counter then walked back out. Charlie waited for the boys to walk away before opening it, seeing “JJ - 252-630-8416” scrawled on it in Pope’s neat handwriting. She smiled to herself and shook her head, then pocketed the napkin. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Later that day, the Pogues were all out on the water, hanging out. John B and Pope were eagerly retelling the story of the ice cream shop to Kie, JJ interjecting multiple times with lies of different lines he had “flirted” with. “And after all that, he still chickened out and didn’t get her number.” John B finished the story dramatically. “Don’t worry, JJ, I saved your awkward conversation.” Pope claimed proudly, crossing his arms. 

JJ gave him a wary look. “What did you do?” Pope grinned. “When I told you guys I went back because I left my keys in there, I actually gave her a napkin with your number on it. You’re welcome.” JJ immediately responded by punching him in the arm, Pope groaning. “What the hell, Pope! Now I look desperate!” 

Kiara tilted her head, confused. “You know, I saw her earlier when she opened the shop. I have her number, you could have just asked for it.” JJ practically jumped out of his seat to grab Kiara’s phone. “You could have spared me all that! Holy hell, Kie, give it to me.” She frowned, holding her phone out of his reach. “No. You should only have it if she wants you to have it.” JJ sat down with a defeated sigh, knowing not to push her or he’d earn another lecture about feminism from Kiara. He slumped in his chair dramatically. “I’m never gonna talk to her at this rate.” 

_______________________________________________________________________

After her shift, Charlie went over to Grace’s house to wind down for the night. Grace greeted her at the door and immediately lifted her friend’s hair off her neck. Charlie ducked out of her grip, walking in the house. “Hey! What are you doing?” Grace smirked and crossed her arms. “Checking for hickies.” Charlie blushed slightly and groaned. “Grace, I swear to god, nothing happened!” Grace laughed. “Just being sure! I can’t blame him if something did, he’d be stupid not to make a move on you.” Charlie shook her head. “It’s not like that. If he was ever vaguely interested, he would have said something at one of our Kappa mixers.” 

Grace poured them both a glass of wine and flopped onto the couch with her. “Would you have considered it? If he did make a move?” 

Charlie ran the tip of her finger around the wine glass, avoiding her friend’s inquisitive gaze. “Um. I don’t know. He’s probably bad news.” 

Grace nodded. “Exactly. I mean, he’s hot, but at what cost? Just find a Touron at a Boneyard party. It’s been more than enough time though, you need to get laid.” 

Charlie sputtered, choking on her sip of wine. “Grace!” 

Her friend just rolled her eyes and handed her a napkin. “Think about it. You broke it off with Rafe three whole months ago and you’ve only been on one date since. And you lied and told me you hooked up with that Beta just to get me off your back. It’s not like you don’t have any options either, you practically rejected half the soccer team-” 

Charlie blushed. “Okay, okay, Grace, I get your point. I just don’t know if I’m ready. I mean, the way we ended things wasn’t-” 

“No.” Grace interrupted. “You broke it off with him, it wasn’t a we decision, because he’s a lying, cheating bastard. You didn’t deserve any of that. What you do deserve is a good old-fashioned dick appointment. Just not with JJ Maybank.” 

Charlie laughed in spite of herself. “He and John B and Pope came into the ice cream shop today. They said there’s a party Friday, I guess we could go?” She offered halfheartedly, fishing the napkin with JJ’s number on it out of her pocket. 

“What is that?” Grace raised her eyebrows.

“Um, JJ’s number, Pope passed it on,” Charlie shrugged. “I’m probably not gonna do anything with it but I thought I’d keep it just in case.” 

Grace reached over and plucked it out of her hands, promptly ripping it into pieces despite Charlie’s feeble protest. “We went over this, I told you that boy’s no good for you. Will you let me do your makeup and pick out an outfit?”

“Why’d you have to - ugh, yeah, sure. Whatever makes you happy,” she teased. 

Grace clapped together her hands in excitement. “We’re gonna get you laaaiddd!” She sang, making Charlie blush again and whine in response. 

“I hate you.” 

Grace laughed. “No you don’t. You love me.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: guy hinting at non-consent in this chapter!

It was an evening ritual of Charlie’s to head to the ocean after work and unwind. She had her board on top of her car at all times and her wetsuit in the back, just in case. As soon as the clock hit 4pm and she traded spots with the high schoolers that manned the evening shifts, she drove straight to the beach. It was one of those days where the humidity felt so thick you were swimming through it and she forgoed her wetsuit for her bikini she wore under her work uniform. As she shimmied her jean shorts down her legs, JJ came around the corner with his board tucked under his arm. 

Charlie groaned quietly and stepped back behind her car, but not before JJ noticed her. “Walker, hey!” He waved, jogging over to her. Charlie raised her eyebrows, caught off guard. “Walker?” She questioned with a small smile. 

JJ grinned, pleased with her reaction. “Yeah, since you refuse to use my name, I figured I ought to do the same.” 

She laughed. “Shame. I like the sound of my name on your lips,” she said, taking advantage of his speechlessness to look him up and down. 

* * *

He beamed at the approval. “Here, let me help you with your board.” He set his own down and stepped up close to her, reaching over her to pull her surfboard down from the top of the car. Charlie ****swore her heart stopped beating for a second, her cheeks going red. She put her free hand on his bare chest to steady herself. “Charlie?” “Yeah?” She looked up, making eye contact. “Is this just a game to you?” He questioned. “Is what just a game?” She challenged. “Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t know exactly what you’re doing.” “Believe it or not, I don’t exist just to mess with you, Maybank.” She took her board from him and walked toward the water. JJ just watched her for a second, then jogged to catch up. “Do you surf often? I don’t remember seeing you on the water much in high school. And most Kappas I know are too prissy for that anyways,” he remarked as the two walked out to the water.

She didn’t miss his gaze trailing down her body, but chose to ignore it as well. “We’re not prissy. But no, I picked it up last summer when I had an internship down in Florida. I’m okay,” she understated. After dealing with a shitty boss, she turned to surfing as her therapy and ended up finding time almost every single day to surf that summer. She was no amateur. 

They kept casual conversation as they both paddled out past the waves. “Oh, I’m sure you’re not that bad. Let’s see,” JJ gestured to an upcoming wave, letting her take the first ride. “What a gentleman,” Charlie grinned, paddling out toward the wave. She caught it with ease, standing over the swell and riding it into shore. Back in the ocean, JJ’s jaw dropped as he watched her take control of the wave. “Holy shit,” he murmured to himself before coming to his senses and catching a wave after her. 

He caught up to her on shore, grinning ear to ear. “What the fuck was that?!” JJ cried out. 

Charlie smirked and shrugged. “Like I said. I’m okay.” 

“If that’s just okay, then I’m just okay.” He bragged. “Seriously, Walker, I didn’t think you could rip like that.” 

Charlie just winked. “Race ya!” She yelled over her shoulder, taking off with a head start. He laughed and chased her into the waves, paddling out and keeping pace with her. They kept taking turns, one after another for a while, until they both grew tired. “I can’t keep up anymore,” JJ groaned. 

“Okay, okay, last one. It’s big, we can both catch it,” Charlie pointed out. 

“Deal.” JJ spit into his hand, force of habit with the Pogues, and went to shake Charlie’s hand. She just looked at him in disgust, wrinkling her nose. 

“You’re gross.” 

He retracted his hand, embarrassed and dipped it in the water. “I was just kidding!” 

Charlie just shook her head and started paddling out in sync with JJ, concentrating on the wave. Unlucky for her, he was concentrated on the curve of her ass instead. As they both stood, he got distracted and crashed the end of his board into hers, tossing both of them into the waves. It took an extra beat for Charlie to surface, her leash wrapped around her leg. 

She came up with a big inhale, sputtering. “What the fuck, Maybank?” She demanded. Charlie held onto her board for support, coughing up water. 

Uncharacteristically, he was bright red, not able to tell her the real reason why he made them wipe out. “Sorry, I, uh, wasn’t paying attention. Are you okay?” He steadied her board for her, coming closer to help her on. 

Charlie maneuvered her board away from him, pissed off. “I’m fine, no thanks to you.” 

“Shit, Charlie, I really didn’t mean to. Here, I can help you back to shore, check your leg out.” He offered apologetically, starting to paddle in with her. 

The last thing she wanted at the moment was his help, but her leg was stinging and that was never a good sign. “I thought you were supposed to be good at this, Maybank.” 

Her tone didn’t slip past him and he took her board from her immediately as they got to shore, ignoring her whine of protest. “I don’t know, I’m off my game, I guess.” He saw a trail of blood dripping down her leg and winced. “Stay here, I’ll go grab something for that.” 

Charlie glanced down at the scrape on her leg and groaned, flopping back into the sand and shielding her eyes from the sun with her arm. JJ returned quickly and knelt down in front of her as she propped herself up on her elbows. 

“I think it’s just a scrape but my board got you pretty good. I’m really sorry, Walker,” he apologized. “That’s Charlie Walker to you.” She retorted. He laughed a little, then realized she wasn’t kidding around. JJ carefully dabbed the area with his shirt, wiping the sand away, then covered it in what was probably expired Neosporin and an old bandage. After a few too many falls, Kie made all of them put a tiny first aid kit in their cars ‘just in case.’ 

“Hey, at least it’s not as bad as when you sprained your ankle at the Clemson tailgate,” he joked to ease the mood. 

She shot him a glare. “That was your stupid pledge brother’s fault for running into me.” He dropped the smile. 

“Right. Not the beer bong you did beforehand?” He teased. 

She scowled. “Watch yourself, Maybank.” 

“That’s JJ Maybank to you.” He said, testing a smile with her. When she just rolled her eyes, he gave up. “I think I got you all fixed up, though. I’m sorry. Again.” He ran his hand through his hair, messing with it as a nervous habit. 

“It’s whatever. Thanks for the bandaid.” Charlie got up, ignoring his extended hand to help. She grabbed her board and stormed off. It probably was an honest accident, but she was still pissed. Plus, now she had an honest excuse to ignore the boy that had been living in her head rent-free since the first kegger. 

_______________________________________________________________________

JJ watched her stomp away and groaned once she was out of earshot. He brought the first-aid kit and his board back to the car, then grabbed his phone and texted the Pogues. 

_~POGUE LIFE~_

_JJ: I fucked up_

_Kie: u ok???_

_Pope: What did you do_

_John B: I’m with Sarah is it important_

_JJ: was surfing with Charlie and I busted her wave_

_Pope: That’s it?_

_JJ: no it was bad_

_JJ: no chance of being friends now_

_Kie: i’m sure it’s not that bad, you’re such a drama queen_

_Kie: is she ok?_

_JJ: yeah I cleaned her up but she’s pissed_

_Pope: She’ll get over it, I think she likes you_

_Pope: Has she texted you yet_

_JJ: no and no thanks to you_

_John B: well your stuttering in the ice cream shop didn’t help_

_Kie: play nice boys_

_______________________________________________________________________

Friday rolled around, the day Charlie had been dreading. The last thing she wanted to do was go to a party and have a chance of running into JJ again. Normally an accident like that wouldn’t have pissed her off as much as it did, but there was something about the blonde boy that just irritated her to no end. She sat in Grace’s room as her friend practically tore her closet apart, looking for just the right outfit for Charlie. Charlie’s typical beach uniform of choice was just a tank top and jean shorts, but Grace had different plans. 

“Try this one on,” she said as she tossed a shirt at Charlie. 

Charlie held the garment up with one finger, eyeing it skeptically. “This thing? You can practically see your nipples when you wear it.” 

Grace rolled her eyes. “That’s the whole fucking point, Charlie, we’re trying to show you off here. How else do you think I hooked up with the quarterback?” 

Charlie gasped, genuinely surprised. “Grace Evans! You did not!” 

Grace grinned. “Did I forget to tell you about that one? It was after the Georgia win. Someone had to congratulate him,” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. The real reason Grace kept lecturing Charlie to stay away from JJ? She knew his game way too well - because she was practically the female version herself. She even made it onto the Beta composite last year when she was voted fraternity sweetheart. Sleeping with the president will get you to the top pretty quickly. 

“You are too damn much.” Charlie laughed, but pulled on the shirt anyway. Her chest was smaller than Grace’s and the crop top, while still low-cut, flattered her chest in just the right way. “Huh. It’s not too bad.” 

Grace beamed. “Then I know the perfect skirt.” She tossed a floral smocked skirt in Charlie’s direction. “I know it’s not your style, but trust me on this. No one will be able to resist you tonight.” 

Charlie obliged and pulled it on. “I just need to drink enough to not remember the guy’s name and I’ll be set.” 

“That’s my girl!” Grace grinned. “Let’s go, now we’re fashionably late.” 

_______________________________________________________________________

It was only an hour into the party before Charlie was tugging at her crop top to stay up and her skirt to stay down to an appropriate length. She was five White Claws deep (thanks to a pregame at Grace’s house) and definitely feeling it. She had seen JJ the second she walked in, but slipped in through the crowd and got away without him noticing. Focusing hard on walking in a straight line, she kept her eyes trained on the ground as she walked toward the keg - and straight into a Touron’s chest. 

The guy smiled and reached out to steady her, his glance going south to her chest. “Whoa there, don’t fall for me before we’ve even talked,” he said. She laughed, cheeks going red. “Hi, sorry, I was just trying to find more drinks.” He nodded. “Let’s go find more drinks then. I’m Scott.” He placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her through the party. Normally she would tell him to fuck off and get the drinks on her own, but after a second glance and deciding he was cute enough, Charlie let it happen. “I’m Charlie. Nice to meet you,” she offered. 

“Pleasure’s mine, darling.” She laughed as they entered the kitchen. “You must be from the south.” He laughed, pointing to the Alabama logo on his polo. “Guilty. Roll tide.” Charlie wrinkled her nose. “Ugh. That’s unfortunate.” He chuckled and leaned over her to grab her a canned Smirnoff mixer out of the cooler, along with the last beer for him. Charlie squinted to read the 8% on the can and shook her head, knowing it was a bad idea, but then reminded herself of the reason she came out tonight and popped the tab with a sigh. 

“Let me guess, you go to North Carolina?” Scott questioned. “No.” Charlie was already bored. “Duke, then. All the pretty girls end up there.” She shook her head. “Ugh, no. I go to SC.” He nodded in recognition. “Ahh, an SEC girl! You must know how to party then.” Charlie shrugged, letting him carry the bulk of the conversation. “Guess so.” 

Behind her, JJ had spotted Charlie following the Touron into the beach house and made his way toward her. Before he got too close, he felt a small hand on his wrist pull him backward. “Hey - oh. Hi, Grace,” JJ muttered unenthusiastically. She hung around the Beta house far too often last year for him to not recognize her instantly. 

She gave him a look, crossing her arms to set the tone. “What are you doing?” 

“Uh...just getting more drinks?” JJ tried. 

Grace gave him a short laugh. “Don’t humor me, Maybank. I saw you watch Charlie go in there.” 

He relented quickly. “Look, I just wanted to say hi, that’s all. I got her leg scratched up earlier this week and thought I’d check in on her.” 

Grace scoffed. “Yeah. I heard. I don’t trust you.” 

JJ crossed his arms back, annoyed. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why don’t you trust me, Grace Evans?” 

Grace pointed two fingers at her eyes, then back at his. “Because I know exactly how you play your game, _JJ Maybank_ , and you’re not playing it with my Charlie. She’s not gonna get hurt because of you.” 

JJ frowned. “I just want to check up on her, god!” He raised his eyebrows. “You know, I could do that if you just gave me her number…” 

She laughed. “Nice try, stupid. Leave her alone, she’s trying to get laid.” 

JJ had just taken a sip of his beer and choked on the drink. He grinned. “Well I could help her with that.” 

Grace glared. “Go find some other Touron to pick up tonight, JJ, leave her alone. You’re trouble.” With that, she walked away. JJ turned back to look into the beach house, but Charlie was nowhere in sight. He sighed, walking back to his friends with slumped shoulders. Pope gave him a sympathetic smile. “No luck?” 

JJ shook his head, draining the rest of his beer. “No, I got intercepted by her friend. John B, remember Grace Evans?” The tips of John B’s ears turned red and his grip around Sarah’s shoulders got a little tighter. “Uh...no?” He tried. Sarah looked up curiously. “Didn’t she go to your school?” 

JJ laughed, lightly punching John B’s arm. “Ohh...of course you remember Grace Evans, you crushed on her for a whole summer until-” John B’s eyes went wide, telling him to shut up. Sarah turned to her boyfriend, arms crossed. “Until what, John B?” John B flipped JJ off. “Thanks a lot.” Sarah turned back to JJ. “No, go on, I really want to hear this.” JJ shook his head. “No can do, Cameron,” and walked away before he had to deal with hearing the argument he probably just started. 

JJ made his way toward the beach and saw Charlie and the Touron, Scott, sitting out on the sand together. Alone. His brow furrowed and he walked closer til he could hear their conversation. 

“We should get out of here,” Scott offered, helping her up from the sand. Charlie blinked a couple times. “Huh? Honestly...I just wanna go to bed. I’m fuckin’ tired.” Scott smiled. “Come on, I’ll find you a place to sleep.” His arm went around her waist and trailed along the hem of her crop top. 

JJ frowned and jogged over, taking the drink from Charlie’s hand. “Hey, everything okay here?” 

Scott nodded. “We were just-” 

JJ crossed his arms and straightened up so he had a few inches on him, stepping toward Scott. “I wasn’t asking you. I was asking Charlie.” 

Charlie looked between the two of them. “I dunno. I think we’re gonna go take a nap?” 

JJ frowned deeper. “With this guy you don’t know?” 

Scott dropped his arm from Charlie’s waist and stepped up til he was face-to-face with JJ. “I got her man, don’t worry about it.” 

JJ shoved his chest. “Fuck that. You can leave.” 

Scott shoved his shoulder back and turned to Charlie, taking her hand. “Charlie, doll, you don’t want me to leave, do you?” 

JJ gritted his teeth and stepped in between the two of them, putting Charlie behind him protectively. Charlie reached up and tapped JJ’s shoulder. “Don’t fight, JJ, please?” JJ softened at the sound of his name and looked back to Scott. “You heard her. Fuck off.” 

Scott rolled his eyes. “Whatever. She’s boring anyway.” He walked back to the party and JJ kept an eye on him til he was out of sight. 

Seeing Charlie sway, JJ put his arm around Charlie’s shoulders to support her. “Careful, Walker, I got you.” Charlie leaned into JJ. “I’m not boring, am I, Maybank?” 

JJ laughed quietly. “Anything but.” 

Charlie nodded, satisfied. “JJ...I’m drunk. Grace is gonna be mad at me.” 

He smiled. “Yeah? I’m almost drunk too. Why is Grace going to be mad at you?” 

Charlie pouted, sticking out her lips. “Because she let me borrow her clothes so I could get laid.” 

JJ grinned, amused. “I heard. And you look great. But why are you so set on getting laid? I mean, no judgment, just seems like you had a very set plan.” 

Charlie shrugged, resting her head on JJ’s chest. “My ex cheated on me and I need to move on. A good fuck usually helps with that.” 

JJ cleared his throat in surprise, moving his hands to her shoulders and carefully sitting her down. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve that. I-uh, um, yeah. Sleeping with someone can help. Sometimes.” He sat next to her but made sure to keep distance between them. 

“I mean, you would know, right? You’ve had your fair share of fucking around.” Charlie asked pointedly and scooted closer. 

JJ laughed loudly in response. “I guess so?” 

Charlie turned to him, a thought occurring and her eyebrows rising. “Oh! Is the thing about the handcuffs true?” 

JJ looked at her in shock. “The _handcuffs_? What thing about the handcuffs?” 

Charlie grinned. “You know. With Jenna Gray? She said you two hooked up after the Florida tailgate and you had handcuffs.” 

JJ ran a hand over his face, groaning. “Dear god. Now I can see where you’re coming from, talking about my “reputation,” He said, putting the last word in finger quotes. “I never hooked up with Jenna Gray, we kissed at the tailgate and then she puked in our bathroom and I called her an Uber home.” 

Charlie sat back, thinking. “Oh. Huh. I wonder how many stories I’ve heard are true, then.” JJ shook his head. “We’re gonna have to review those together when I’m not as drunk.” Charlie extended her pinky toward him. “Deal.” JJ smiled and locked his pinky with hers, then brought it to his lips and kissed it before letting go. “Deal.” They both turned as they heard voices from a boy and a girl heading their way. Charlie bit her lip as she saw Rafe come into view, hand-in-hand with the girl she had caught him cheating on her with. She weighed her decision, looking back and forth hurriedly between JJ and Rafe walking closer. 

“Are you okay, Charlie?” JJ asked, concerned. “I’m fine, um..” She glanced over just as Rafe seemed to recognize her and turned back toward JJ. “Oh, fuck it,” she muttered under her breath. Taking JJ by surprise, Charlie leaned over and her lips met his. He didn’t hesitate to kiss back, threading his fingers through her hair as she pushed him gently back into the sand. JJ took control instantly, flipping them over so he was on top. He broke off the passionate kiss reluctantly, hovering over her as Rafe walked away. The blond choked out a laugh. “I’m not complaining, believe me I’m not. But _what_ was _that_?” 


	4. Chapter 4

Charlie laid under him for a beat, just staring into JJ’s piercing blue eyes while she caught her breath. Once she came back to her senses, she rolled out from under him and he turned away, letting her sit up. “Um. Fuck, you’re good at that.” Immediately she clapped her hand over her mouth, blushing red. He grinned and ran his hand through his hair. “Thank you. So are you.” She let out a nervous laugh. “Right. Thanks. Um, my ex I told you about? It was Rafe. And that was the girl. I just wanted to prove something, I guess.” 

JJ frowned, immediately growing protective. “That asshole?” Charlie frowned back. “I didn’t know...he was nice while we dated.” JJ shook his head quickly. “No, of course. I’m not blaming you at all. He’s shitty, that’s all. I’m sorry he messed with you like that.” Charlie gave him a small smile. “Sorry I came onto you, Maybank.” JJ let out a short laugh. “No complaints here, Walker.” 

Charlie turned toward him, pulling her knees up to her chest. “Would you be willing to help me?” JJ nodded. “Of course, Walker, anything.” Charlie paused for a moment before asking. “Would you be my fake boyfriend?” JJ’s eyes grew wide, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Your fake boyfriend?” Charlie nodded. “Yeah. Just for the summer, to make him jealous, and then you can go back to pretending I never existed when we go back for senior year.” 

* * *

JJ slightly frowned. “I always knew you existed, Charlie.” Charlie waved her hand in dismissal, getting excited at the prospect of her idea. “So you’ll do it? You’ll be my fake boyfriend?” JJ hesitated. “Just to make him jealous.” Charlie smiled. “Exactly! Just to make him jealous.” JJ shook his head to himself before sighing. “Yeah. I’ll do it. For you.” Charlie missed the long look he gave her. “Perfect! You’ll be the perfect fake boyfriend.” JJ smiled and helped her up from the sand. “Come on then, fake girlfriend. Let’s get you home.” 

JJ walked back to the party with his arm around her shoulders loosely, coming up to the Pogues. John B and Sarah were nowhere to be found - John B was probably groveling at her feet to explain himself - and Pope and Kiara exchanged glances upon seeing the pair. “You good, Charlie?” Kiara asked, walking over and helping pull her shirt up a little bit. She didn’t miss her messy hair or the slight red stain smeared on JJ’s lips. Charlie just smiled and leaned her head on JJ’s shoulder. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be? Thank you.” Pope looked confused, pointing at the two of them. “Did you guys…” He trailed off, muttering “ow” when Kiara elbowed him sharply in the ribs. JJ shook his head. “Are either of you sober enough to drive or do we need to call someone? Where’s John B and Sarah?” Kiara just laughed. “You started that fight, I think they’re back at her place already. I have the keys, let’s roll.” 

Charlie tilted her head, reaching up for JJ and running her finger lazily along his jawline. “Can I stay with you, Maybank? I told my parents I would be sleeping over at Grace’s.” His eyes widened slightly. “Yeah, I’ll, uh, just sleep on the floor. You can stay with me.” As the four walked toward the van, Pope looked over his shoulder at the two trailing behind them and pretended to crack a whip, making the sound with his mouth. Kiara shoved him, laughing as JJ reached up his middle finger to flip Pope off. JJ set Charlie carefully in the backseat and crawled in next to her, keeping her steady throughout the bumpy ride home. 

Once they were back at the Chateau, JJ brought her in and glanced around, thankful that Sarah had made John B decorate the place a little since their high school days. “Um, bathroom’s down the hall. There’s a spare toothbrush in the cabinet, help yourself.” Charlie nodded, sleepily making her way. The second the door shut, Kiara grabbed JJ’s arm and pulled him back into the living room. Pope sat back on the couch, hands locked behind his head and feet up to watch the inquisition. “What really happened?” She asked in a hushed tone.

JJ raised his hands in defense immediately. “She came onto me!” He whisper-yelled, yanking his arm out of Kiara’s grip. 

Kiara crossed her arms. “You have lipstick all over your mouth, JJ!” 

He had the decency to look a little embarrassed and swiped the back of his hand over his mouth. “I swear, I rescued her from this creepy Touron that was gonna do god knows what with her, then we were just talking and then Rafe walked past and she just kissed me! I guess we’re dating now?” 

Kiara let out a short laugh. “It’s been a week since you actually started talking to her. You’re delusional, JJ. Or drunk. Or both.” 

“No! I swear! She asked me to be her boyfriend!” 

Kiara pursed her lips. “We’ll see what she says in the morning. But if you do anything to her while she’s drunk, I swear I’ll -” 

JJ waved his hand. “You know me better than that, Kie, I’m not gonna do anything.” At the sound of the door opening, he walked away. 

“Spare room’s down here, Charlie. I’ll take the floor.” He offered, showing her the way. “Okay. Do you have um, a shirt or somethin’ I can sleep in?” She asked, already starting to pull her top off. He stepped forward quickly and pulled her hands away. “Whoa, hold on, I’ll turn around and let you change. Um..” He pulled a clean shirt of his out of the closet. “Here. Call for me when you’re done.” He walked out and shut the door. 

After about ten minutes, he knocked once and put his ear to the door. “You good, Walker?” With no response, he cracked the door and peeked in - to see the girl curled up under the sheets, fast asleep with a pile of her clothes next to her. He laughed quietly to himself and pulled out a spare blanket, then settled onto the floor and fell asleep to the sound of her soft breathing.

_______________________________________________________________________

The next morning, JJ woke to a note scrawled onto a scrap of paper. “Had work. Thanks for the bed xo Walker” He grinned at the signature and got ready for work, pocketing the note before he left. After his shift, JJ strolled into the ice cream shop. Charlie pretended to groan. “You again? You still want to see me after last night?” He laughed. “Is that really how you speak to a customer, Walker?” 

She rolled her eyes. “What do you want?” 

He shook his head. “No, it’s okay, I’m -” 

Charlie interrupted. “It’s on the house, Maybank.” 

He grinned. “In that case, I’ll take the chocolate fudge. Thank you.” She allowed a small smile and scooped one for him, then another. She handed him his ice cream and came out behind the counter, flipping the sign to closed. “You don’t need to close up just for me,” JJ said, confused. “I’m not, it’s just my break and this is easier. Sit.” 

JJ sat in a booth across from her. “I had to track you down, because I still don’t have your number.” Charlie gestured for his phone. “You couldn’t just send a pigeon or something?” She teased. He laughed. “Right, yeah, I’ll just train up a carrier pigeon real quick. Who needs phones anyway?” She smiled, saving her contact in his phone as ‘Walker’ and slid the phone back across the table to him. “Did you see my note? I didn’t mean to just dip out like that.” 

Charlie took a long lick of her cone, making a small noise of approval at the taste. JJ just stared at her lips, letting a small trail of ice cream melt down his hand. She furrowed her brow and snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Hello? Earth to Maybank?” He jumped, startled, then grinned. “You know, if we’re gonna be fake dating, you should probably start calling me by my name, Walker.” Charlie wrinkled her nose. “I was kinda hoping you were too drunk to remember that conversation.” He shook his head. “You were hammered, I was simply not sober. But if you want to call it off, that’s fine.” 

She shook her head. “No, I actually think it would work. I just want to piss Rafe off and you two are like mortal enemies, so I don’t think there’s anyone better.” He laughed. “You’re probably right. So are you gonna call me JJ?” 

She pretended to think about it for a second, licking her cone again. “Fine. But I’m not letting you call me Charlotte.” 

“Charlie it is, pretty girl.” 

She blushed, but maintained eye contact. “I’m only calling you that in public though, Maybank.” She added for good measure. 

He grinned and reached out to tug the end of her hair gently, then offered his pinky to her. “Deal.” She smiled and locked hers with his. “Deal,” she repeated softly. She kept her gaze on his, then jumped in surprise as someone rapped on the door. 

She got up and quickly unlocked the door, letting her dad in. “Charlotte, I told you to wait until the shift change, you can’t just close up early-” He started, then stopped when he saw JJ sitting in the booth. “Who is this?” 

JJ quickly got up, extending his hand. “JJ Maybank, sir. I go to school with Charlie.” 

Mr. Walker nodded, gripping his hand a little too hard. “Right. Charlotte, are you two..?” 

Charlie quickly shook her head. “No! He’s just my...uh...JJ.” 

Mr. Walker raised an eyebrow. “Your JJ?” 

“Friend!” Charlie desperately amended. “My friend. JJ. JJ is my friend. Sorry. Brain freeze. Anyway, thanks for coming early, here’s the keys, the cookie dough needs to be restocked. Thanks Dad!” She grabbed JJ’s hand, pulling him outside as he waved goodbye to Mr. Walker over his shoulder. She was bright red. “Your JJ?” JJ teased, bumping her hip with his. “My _friend_.” She corrected, swatting his shoulder. “Your _boyfriend_.” He replied, smirking. “ _Fake_ boyfriend, Maybank.” She amended. “That’s JJ to you, pretty girl.” He grinned, bumping her hip again. 

Charlie huffed. “Whatever. JJ. Finish your ice cream and we need to go to my house and set some rules.” JJ finished his cone with a bite, walking to her car with her. “I hate rules.” He whined. “I know, but if you’re gonna help me out it’s gonna be on my terms.” She insisted, driving away. 

“Do you think your dad liked me?” He asked after a few minutes of silence. “I don’t know? Was your handshake good?” She replied. JJ nodded. “I think so.” Charlie shrugged. “Then you’re probably fine. He’s like any other dad, he’s pretty easy going.” JJ cleared his throat. “Right.” She pulled up to her house and walked in, kicking off her shoes and making her way upstairs. Halfway up the stairs, she stopped and turned. JJ stood in the doorway. “Coming?” JJ pointed at himself. “Me? Oh, uh, right. I didn’t know I was coming to your room.” He kicked off his shoes hurriedly and followed her up. 

Charlie closed her bedroom door behind him and flopped onto the bed, patting an empty space. “Make yourself at home, Maybank.” He sat on the edge of the bed next to her, leaning back on his elbows. “Okay. Rule number one. You can’t tell your friends.” He frowned. “Wouldn’t that kind of ruin the whole illusion?” She shook her head. “No, no, about the fake part. I don’t care if they think we’re dating, whatever.” He nodded. “Right. Deal.” 

Charlie thought for a second. “Rule number two. PDA is fine, but only in public.” JJ pretended to think. “How much are we talking?” She smirked. “Whatever will piss Rafe off.” He shrugged. “Okay. Are you sure you don’t want to think about this, though? It seems like a lot just to prove something.” Charlie nodded confidently. “I want to prove I’m over him.” JJ frowned. “Are you?” Charlie’s expression faltered. “We dated for almost a year, JJ. It’s hard to just..cut that off. It hurt.” She confessed. JJ balled up the covers in his fist, frowning deeper. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

She shook her head in dismissal. “It’s fine. Just remember the rules, and we won’t have any issues.” He laughed. “Two rules, easy enough. Now. I need to hear these stories that are going around about me.” Charlie laughed and reached over, tugging at his hair. “You just want your ego fed, Maybank.” 

He grinned, leaning back and locking his fingers behind his head. “So what if I do? ‘Fess up, baby.” 

“Not your baby.” 

“Whatever.” 

She scowled at him. “Hm. The ski trip, last year. Did you have sex in the hot tub?” 

“God no!” He exclaimed. “Who did you hear that from?” 

Charlie laughed. “Blair Benson, but she’s a habitual liar anyway. Hm...did you do body shots off the waitress in that sketchy strip club out in Springdale?” 

JJ smirked. “Fine, that one’s true, but she offered.” 

Charlie wrinkled her nose. “What about fucking Alyssa Brown in sophomore year in the back of the party bus? On the way to the Beta formal?” 

He grinned. “Watch your dirty fucking mouth, Walker.” 

“Watch _your_ dirty fucking mouth, Maybank!” She shoved his hip with her foot playfully and he yelped. “You’re not denying it,” she accused, pointing a finger at him. 

He laughed and shook his head. “That one’s a lie too. I’m starting to think I shouldn’t be on that list after all.” 

Charlie just shrugged. “Maybe not, but there’s got to be a reason why they’re telling all these stories.” 

JJ smirked and lifted his shirt, gesturing at his abs. “It’s because I’m stunningly handsome.” 

She paused for a moment to admire his abs, losing her train of thought. He dropped his shirt and put a finger under her chin, tilting it up gently. “Eyes up here, Charlotte Walker.” She swatted at his hand and rolled her eyes. “Don’t call me that.” He grinned. “Couldn’t resist. Now it’s your turn,” he insisted. 

Charlie laid back on the pillows and folded her arms across her chest, looking up at the ceiling. “Try me. There’s no rumors floating around about me, I’m innocent.” 

He smirked. “So...you didn’t sleep with Brian Russell after you did three keg stands at the Georgia tailgate?” 

She gasped, sitting up quickly. “He did _not_ brag about that!” 

He laughed, triumphant. “Ha! Of course he did, Walker, who wouldn’t want to brag about sleeping with you?” He paused to think, then grinned. “Did you also blow James Avery in the sleeping dorms freshman year? On Halloween?” 

Charlie just turned more red, making a guilty face, and he laughed harder, tears welling up in his eyes. “Damn girl, I’m gonna make a list just for you to pin up at the Beta house! I didn’t know you had it in you!” Charlotte groaned, covering her face with her hands in response. “Shut up, Maybank.” JJ grinned. “What did I tell you about covering up that cute blush of yours?” He reached out and poked her side and she flinched, letting out a breathy moan of surprise. 

JJ grinned and put his finger to her lips, lowering his voice. “Careful, pretty girl, your mom might think we’re doing more than just hanging out in here.” Charlotte laughed and turned her head, biting his finger gently. JJ yanked it back. “Ow! Watch where you put your teeth or I’ll add that to your list!” 

“Fuck you, watch where you put your fingers!” She retorted. JJ grinned and moved to hover over her, arms locked and hands on both sides of her head. Charlie’s breath caught in her throat as his necklace dangled over her, the pendant brushing against her chin. 

“If you give a little, maybe we could get to know each other,” JJ murmured.

“Careful, Maybank…” 

“I’m not touching you, Walker.” He replied, then rolled off of her. 

Charlie frowned slightly and JJ smirked, poking her dimple. 

“What, did you want something to happen?” 

“Fake boyfriend, JJ,” she reminded him. 

“You said PDA was fine,” he shot back. 

“Yeah, public display of affection. That’s what the P stands for.” 

“It could stand for private, too.” He raised his eyebrows, challenging her. “Shouldn’t we practice, anyway? So it feels more natural? Or do you plan on being drunk every time we hang out?” 

Charlie turned up her nose at him. “I don’t need practice, JJ. I can kiss just fine.” 

JJ wasn’t convinced. “I know that, pretty girl. But it’s not just kissing. We need chemistry, otherwise it’ll be obvious.” 

“I’m sure we’ll figure it out.” Charlie stood, about to walk away to sit in a chair in the corner of her room. JJ stood quickly and gently grabbed her wrist, spinning her to face him and stepping close. “I’m not going to do anything you don’t want to do, Charlie,” he murmured, backing her up against the wall and putting a hand above her head, looking down at her. Her breathing grew heavy. “I..um..” He leaned in until his lips were about an inch from hers, waiting for her to make the first move. Her chest touched his with every rise of her breath, on edge just from the anticipation. 

At the sound of the doorknob jiggling and the door opening, Charlie shoved JJ away and ducked out from under him. “Jamie! What are you doing?” JJ groaned under his breath, taking a seat on her bed. Her eleven-year-old brother, Jamie, walked in, football in hand. He made a face, taken aback by the stranger in his sister’s room. “Who are you?” He asked, wrinkling his nose in the same manner that Charlie did. JJ laughed and ran his hand through his hair, messing with it. “I could ask you the same thing. I’m JJ.” Charlie walked over, about to push him out. 

“Jamie, this is my friend JJ. Be nice.” Jamie tilted his head, doubt running across his face. “Do you kiss all your friends?” JJ caught a laugh in his throat as Charlie sent a glare at both the boys. “We weren’t kissing. And I told you when the door is closed, you can’t just walk in. I’ll pass the ball with you later.” She put her hand on his head, steering him out of her room despite his protests and shut the door behind him. In the hallway, Jamie began singing as he walked away. “ _Charlie and JJ, sitting in a tree…_ ” 

Charlie shook her head, embarrassed. “Oh my god.” JJ grinned. “I like him.” Charlie rolled her eyes. “I’m sure. That’s your cue to leave. I’ll drive you home, where do you live?” She grabbed her car keys and slipped her shoes on, heading downstairs. JJ shook his head quickly. “Uh, I just live with John B over summer but it’s kind of far out of the way. You can just drop me back at the ice cream shop, I had my bike there.” She drove in that direction, only a short ride away.

Charlie nodded. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t know. I don’t blame you for not wanting to crash with your parents after high school.” JJ grimaced slightly. “Yeah, just thought it would be nice to have some independence.” Charlie sighed, wistful. “If only. Then we wouldn’t have been interrupted.” JJ turned to her in the car seat, thankful for the turn in conversation. 

“Nothing was technically interrupted, Walker, because you were too scared to make a move.” Charlie let out a short scoff of protest, parking in the ice cream shop’s lot. “I was not scared!” JJ nodded and unbuckled, turning to get out of the car. “Sure you weren’t.” Charlie reached out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him close, kissing him soundly. He reacted after a beat, turning into the kiss and leaning across the center console. She pulled away with a grin. “Not scared.” He flopped back into the passenger seat, breathless. Charlie smirked, poking his side. “You don’t have a quick reply, for once, Maybank?” JJ shook his head. “Not this time. Have a good night, Charlie.” He sighed, exiting the car, getting on his bike, and driving away. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Later that night, she had a text from an unsaved number. 

_Unnamed: 7/10_

_Charlie: um, wrong number maybe?_

_Unnamed: Nope. I’m rating your kiss_

Charlie stared at the text, confused, then laughed in recognition and saved the number. 

_Charlie: only 7/10?? I’m offended_

_Maybank: Points for element of surprise. Had to take away for the cliche and the fact that your dad was 100% watching through the shop window_

_Charlie: I can do better_

_Maybank: I know you can do better, pretty girl_

_Maybank: Don’t worry. We’ll work on it_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: violence, fighting, drinking, swearing, explicit mentions of sex, all characters are 21+

JJ came back to the Chateau that night with an ear-splitting grin, practically beaming. The other Pogues were all lounging around the living room, Sarah included. Immediately, John B was suspicious. “What did you steal?” He asked, looking over his friend for a sign of something hidden in his pockets. JJ laughed and showed John B his empty hands. “Nothing, bro. Just in a good mood, I guess.” Pope was kicked back on the couch, his feet on the coffee table. “Ten bucks you went back for more ice cream.” Kiara wrinkled her nose. “Is ice cream a dirty metaphor now? He wasn’t with her, he was at work. Right JJ?” Sarah turned to them, confused. “How is ice cream a dirty metaphor?” **  
**

JJ put his hands up and went to the kitchen to grab a beer. “Hey, hey! Stop the interrogation! No, Kie, ice cream is not a dirty metaphor. Mind out of the gutter, woman.” Pope furrowed his brow. “So you did get ice cream.” JJ just grinned as he took a sip of the beer. Pope turned to Kiara, who was already grumbling. “Ha! Ten bucks, hand it over.” She fished a bill out of her pocket, scowling, and slapped it into Pope’s hand. “How did it go?” She asked.

Sarah looked back and forth between Pope and Kiara and JJ. “I’m lost, someone catch me up.” John B looped his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders. “JJ has a fat crush on Charlotte Walker - god, _Charlie_ , she’s not even here dude -” he corrected himself at JJ’s glare, “- and he made a fool of himself at the ice cream place she works at but she’s clearly not into him.” Pope shook his head. “You’re missing half the story, you didn’t see her drunk and hanging all over JJ at the party.” He put on a high-pitched voice as an impression. “Can I stay the night, JJ?” He dropped the voice, pointing at JJ. “And this fool thinks she asked him to be her boyfriend.” 

JJ put the drink down, giving John B and Pope a dirty look through the whole retelling. “First of all, I’m right here, quit talking about me like I’m not. She did! I guess we’re dating now. Second of all, she’s hot, but I don’t have a ‘fat crush’ on her. She’s just cool.” Kiara crossed her arms, doubting the story. “So you did hang out today?” 

JJ nodded, drinking his beer. “Yeah, we had to establish the rules-” his eyes widened at his slip and he cut himself off with another swallow of beer. Kiara and Sarah both jumped on that immediately. “What _rules_ , JJ?” Sarah asked skeptically. 

* * *

JJ glanced around, as if checking to make sure no one else heard, and sighed. “Fine. She wants me to pretend to be her boyfriend, just for the summer, so she can get back at Rafe for cheating on her and piss him off.” 

Sarah frowned as John B and Pope began cracking up. “He cheated on her? I didn’t know that,” she said softly. 

JJ nodded in confirmation and threw his bottle cap at Pope. “Shut up! I’m just helping her out!” 

John B rolled his eyes. “You’re doomed, bro.” 

JJ glared. “But you guys can’t tell a _single_ soul. I mean it. I already broke the first damn rule by telling you, but you guys would have figured it out soon enough anyway.” 

Kiara raised her hands in confusion. “How is that even going to work?”

JJ shrugged. “We go on dates in public, make out at parties? Easy.” Pope nodded. “Uh huh. Sounds like all risk, no reward.” JJ smirked. “Oh there’s reward, all right.” All the Pogues groaned at that, Sarah throwing her pillow at JJ. John B and JJ argued back and forth for a bit until JJ saw Pope and Kiara shaking hands out of the corner of his eye. “Hey! What are you betting on?” Pope grinned sheepishly. “I bet Kie $20 that you two will be dating for real by the end of the summer.” Kiara shook her head. “Hell no. I know Charlie, she’s stubborn as hell.” John B cocked his head. “By the end of summer? I give it a month.” 

Sarah laughed and elbowed her boyfriend. “Just be smart about it, JJ? This just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.” Since she started dating John B back in high school, she had grown to be close like a sister to JJ. Although they were talking about her brother’s ex, she had seen the way he treated girls over the years and figured he deserved what was coming. JJ nodded. “It’ll be fine, Cameron. I’ve got it handled.” 

_______________________________________________________________________

Charlie texted him later in the week, early in the morning. 

_Charlie: want to get dinner tonight?_

_JJ: Sure is the wreck fine?_

_Charlie: I was thinking the country club? on me_

_JJ: are you asking me on a date, Walker?_

_Charlie: I guess I am_

_JJ: Do I have to wear a suit_

_Charlie: no, no, just like a polo. I can pick you up from your place with john b? at 6?_

_JJ: See you then_

After the short text exchange, JJ frantically started going through his closet. “John B!” He called out, coming up empty-handed. While he had gotten a few solid scholarships (one thanks to an essay carefully ‘edited’ - one might say plagiarized - from Pope) and made his way through college with a handful of part-time jobs to keep up financially, he never adapted his style to the typical frat boy attire, hating how Kook-like it was. Lucky for him, John B was a Sigma Nu at UNC and Sarah had molded her boyfriend’s style to fit a little bit more of her taste. (The bandanas stayed.) “What?” He called back, walking into JJ’s room. “Dude, it looks like there was a hurricane in here.” 

JJ tossed another rejected shirt onto his bed. “I need clothes, dude. I’m going on a date at the fuckin’ country club.” John B laughed. “You’re in deep, JJ. Is this with Charlie?” JJ nodded. “Yeah, and I’m sure we’ll see Rafe there, so I gotta look good. For her. You know.” John B shrugged. “Sure. Come on.” 

_______________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Charlie was completely unbothered at work, having sent off the text without a second thought. She told herself it was just a test, to see if this whole fake boyfriend thing would really work. But throughout the day, she couldn’t get her mind off the blond boy hovering over her, his necklace dangling over her chest, his hips getting closer...she shook her head to clear her thoughts as more customers entered the shop. By the end of her shift, only a half hour before she needed to pick JJ up, she had worked herself into a ball of nerves and could hardly concentrate. She raced home, only ten miles over the speed limit, sprinted into the shower, and after hurriedly applying a tinted lip balm, mascara and eyeliner, she looked at her appearance in the mirror, wet hair and all, and frowned. She would have to drive with the windows down and hope that was enough to make her hair acceptably dry. Charlie pulled on a sundress and checked her watch, cursing as she realized she was already late. 

JJ sat on the steps on the Chateau, anxiously bouncing his knee as he waited for Charlie. He checked his watch for the fourth time in ten minutes, then messed with his hair. John B slapped at his hand, having tried to tame it for JJ. “Quit, you’re gonna screw it up! It’s fine, she’s coming.” “I look like a fucking Kook,” JJ groaned, tugging at the collar of his polo. “And she’s late.” The sound of a car sounded in the distance, and JJ practically jumped up seeing her car round the corner. John B clapped his friend on the shoulder. “You look good. You’ll be fine, JJ, it’s just a date.” He left him on the porch, then went inside to watch the interaction through the blinds in the living room. 

Charlie smoothed out her dress and checked herself quickly in the car mirror, then got out and walked down the drive to meet JJ. “Hey, Maybank,” She smiled. “I’m so sorry I’m late, I mistimed work and then had to rush to get ready.” He wiped his palms on his shorts and smiled back. “It’s okay, I wasn’t waiting around.” He went in to hug her as she went in for a kiss on the cheek and she bumped her nose awkwardly into his shoulder. “Oh - uh, okay, ready to go?” She blushed in embarrassment and John B, sitting in the living room, slapped his palm to his forehead. JJ laughed softly and nodded, walking out to the car with her. “I like your makeup like this. It didn’t really seem like you at the party.” She shook her head and smiled, starting up the car. “That was the work of Grace and her eyeliner skills, I can hardly do it on my own.” 

JJ tugged at his collar again. “Got it. Um, so your family, they’re members at the country club?” Charlie paused. “Well..not exactly. My grandparents are, so we have passes once a month if we want to eat or golf or whatever.” JJ laughed. “So you’re like, half-Kook. Why do you work so often?” Charlie shrugged. “I guess you could say that? I’m on scholarship at SC, but I needed a way to pay for Kappa. I get paid like a normal employee at the shop so I can stay in the sorority.” She paused. “My grandparents on my mom’s side aren’t doing the best, so. Most of the money goes there.” JJ frowned slightly, putting his hand on top of hers on the gear. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” 

She shook her head quickly and pulled up to the club. “It’s fine. You look really good, by the way, I didn’t tell you that.” JJ beamed and walked around to get her car door, offering his hand. “Wait.” Charlie surveyed his appearance first, then unbuttoned the top two buttons of his polo. She smiled and took his hand. “Much better. Hungry?” He laughed as his stomach growled. “Starving.” 

The two had a fairly uneventful dinner, save for Charlie spilling her half her glass of white wine all down the front of her dress with a well-timed joke from JJ and an extreme lack of hand-eye coordination on her part. He only laughed harder at this, offering her his napkin and teasing her about her flushed cheeks. After she settled the check, ignoring arguments from JJ (and swatting away his hand when he pulled out his wallet), the two walked around the pathway by the golf course. Charlie took his hand, swinging it between the two of them. “Thank you for coming. It’s fun, hanging out with you.” JJ smiled, bringing their intertwined hands up and kissing the back of hers. “Of course. But - not that I mind - but how exactly is this going to get back to Rafe? For your master plan, and all?” 

Charlie tilted her head toward the course, lowering her voice slightly. “Because he golfs on this course every Tuesday and Thursday with Topper and Kelce at 6:30.” Just on time, the three boys came into view to golf the next hole. “Ah. Right. And dinner?” JJ questioned. Charlie grinned. “You’re the one that said we needed to work on our chemistry, Maybank.” JJ laughed, shaking his head. “You’re trouble, Charlie Walker.” Charlie smiled and reached up on her toes, kissing his cheek. “Who, me? Never.” 

After going first in the round, Rafe jogged over to Charlie on the sidewalk. “What are you doing here, Charlotte?” JJ moved his arm protectively to wrap around her shoulders. Charlie nodded at JJ. “We’re on a date.” Rafe scoffed. “You? With _him_?” He jabbed his thumb toward JJ. Charlie frowned and stepped slightly in front of JJ, her body pressed against his. “Don’t act so surprised, Rafe.” 

Rafe rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You want to waste your time with trash, go ahead.” 

At that JJ moved quickly to react, but Charlie turned and put her hand on his chest, looking up at him with pleading eyes. 

“Don’t, JJ,” she murmured, before turning back to Rafe. “Fuck off, Rafe, don’t talk like that.” 

Rafe sneered. “You know, Maybank, that’s not the only dirty thing she does with her mouth.” 

With that, JJ jumped forward, grabbing a fistful of Rafe’s shirt. “Don’t you ever - ever - talk like that again about her. I know what you did, asshole.” He told him through gritted teeth. 

Charlie quickly came up and wedged herself in between the two of them, facing Rafe, gently pushing JJ back. “JJ. Let’s go.” 

Reluctantly, JJ let go of his shirt and stepped back - just as Rafe spit, directly onto Charlie’s face, though it was intended for JJ. 

Without missing a beat, Charlie raised her fist and slammed it into Rafe’s face, so hard they could hear the crack of her hand connecting with his cheek. Her ring left an imprint and made a small slice under his eye.

“Fuck you.” She choked out, then stepped back and grabbed JJ’s hand as he stared at her in awe. Rafe went down to his knees, pressing his hand to his cheek. “Fucking bitch,” he groaned out.

At the sound of sirens over the golf course loudspeaker, Charlie cursed under her breath. “Shit. We gotta go,” she said quickly, then started running. 

JJ ran with her all the way back to the car, letting out a whoop along the way. She fumbled with the keys back at the car and JJ grabbed them from her, getting in the driver’s seat. “Just get in, Charlie!” He yelled, high off the adrenaline from the almost-fight. Charlie barely made it into the passenger side before JJ threw the car in reverse and the tires squealed as they tore out of the parking lot, back toward the Chateau. 

“Holy shit, are you okay? I’m gonna kill him.” JJ shook his head, glancing over and rubbing his thumb over her cheek. Charlie let her head fall back into the headrest and cradled her fist in her other hand, tears welling up in her eyes. “I’ve never done that before.” JJ let out a short laugh. “It didn’t seem like it. I didn’t know you had that in you.” Charlie mustered a small smile as JJ pulled up to the Chateau and parked. “This fucking hurts,” she whined. 

He frowned, taking her hand and inspecting it. “You gotta punch with your thumb out, you might have broken it. We gotta teach you how to fight, baby.” Charlie groaned, a few tears running down her cheeks. “I’m gonna be in so much fucking trouble with my grandparents.” JJ winced. “Maybe. Let’s deal with this hand first, pretty girl.” 

They both got out of the car. JJ held her face in his hands, wiping away her tears gently with his thumbs and gave her a small kiss on the forehead before bringing her into the Chateau. All the Pogues sat around, discussing how JJ’s date probably went - and they all fell silent once they saw the two. Except Pope, who was facing away from the door and didn’t hear them walk in. “He’s obsessed with her, there’s no way-” he yelped as Kiara stepped on his foot to shut him up. “Oh, uh, hey guys! Wait what’s wrong?” Pope asked. Kiara noticed Charlie holding her fist and went to grab a bag of frozen peas for her without JJ even asking. 

JJ cleared space on the couch for the two of them and sat them down, taking the peas from Kiara and wrapping it around Charlie’s hand. “This one here decided to channel Floyd Mayweather on the date,” he teased. John B looked at the two of them, confused. “What happened, Charlie, are you okay?” 

Charlie let out a sheepish laugh. “I, um, hit Rafe.” JJ shook his head, grinning proudly. “ _Punched_ Rafe,” he corrected. Kiara’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit.” Charlie gasped as she tried to flex her fingers, tears welling up again. JJ took her hand gently and moved it to his lap, holding the ice on it for her. “Keep it still, Charlie, you’re gonna hurt yourself more,” he admonished gently. 

The other three Pogues exchanged not-so-subtle glances at JJ’s gentle nature. Charlie closed her eyes and gritted her teeth in pain, leaning her head into JJ’s shoulder. Pope broke the silence, blurting out. “So are you two a thing?” John B sighed as Kiara put her fingers to her temples, rubbing them. “Real subtle, Pope,” John B said. Charlie laughed softly, lifting her head. “I mean. We’ve been hanging out.” JJ’s face fell slightly and he shrugged, trying to brush it off. “No need to put labels on everything, Pope. Charlie, let’s go to my room, I think I have something that can help you more than the ice.” Charlie nodded and got up, following him out of the room. 

The second they heard JJ’s door click shut, John B and Kiara threw their pillows at Pope. “What the hell, Pope, we’re not supposed to know!” Kiara whispered. Pope raised his hands in defense. “I thought I would help move things along! It’s been two weeks already!” John B groaned, shaking his head. “This is why you’re a terrible wingman, Pope.” 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: weed, angst at the end, mentions of violence, drinking, swearing, explicit mentions of sex, all characters are 21+

While the Pogues fought among themselves and kept speculating about JJ and Charlie’s ‘relationship,’ JJ turned on some music on his phone to drown out any sound from them. Charlie stood awkwardly in the center of the room, holding her hand. JJ gestured to the bed. “Don’t act shy now, Walker, you’ve slept in my bed before,” he teased. She blushed and took a seat on the bed. “Right, sorry. So do you have ibuprofen or something…?” 

JJ shook his head. “Nope, I have better.” He pulled out a small box from his dresser, along with a lighter. “You ever smoked before, Walker?” Charlie shook her head. “I don’t like cigarettes.” He laughed and sat next to her, then pulled out a joint. “Not what I meant.” Charlie wrinkled her nose slightly. “I’ve taken hits from a juul, does that count?” JJ rolled his eyes and lit the joint, then took a deep inhale. “You’ll like it. Promise.” Charlie watched as he exhaled a long trail of smoke, winding up to the ceiling.

He extended the joint between his fingers and Charlie instantly fumbled it, dropping it onto her bare leg. “Shit!” JJ reached over and grabbed it quickly, then moved the bag of frozen peas to the spot on her leg before it could leave a mark. “Watch out, Charlie, you’re gonna burn yourself!” He lit the joint again and gave it to her again, not letting go until she had a grip on it. She copied JJ, inhaling deeply, then immediately held it out away from her and started coughing. He took it back from her and rubbed her back a couple times, biting back a smirk. “Careful, rookie.” 

* * *

She stuck out her tongue at him, reaching out for the joint. “Let me try again.” He held it just out of her reach. “No. Breathe first.” Charlie took a few deep breaths, watching him again as he took a hit. JJ passed the joint back, then watched her carefully. “In, slowly, wait, then out,” he coached. Charlie coughed a little again, then passed it back. “I don’t know. It feels weird, it burns.” JJ frowned, then got up and took the now-melting bag of peas from her. “I’m gonna put this away, I'll be right back.” Before he left, he grabbed a small bag from his drawer and tossed it to her. Inside were about ten gummies. 

Charlie opened the bag and took a sniff, then ate two. Then another. JJ came back in just as she popped the third in her mouth and he paused. “Walker…” She glanced up. “Huh? This candy is good.” His eyes widened and he grabbed the bag away from her. “Oh, fuck. These are edibles, Charlie, how many did you eat?!” Charlie looked like she was about to cry. “...Three?” JJ’s jaw dropped. “ _Three_?!” He exclaimed, slapping his palm to his forehead. “Is that bad?!” Charlie asked back, taken aback at his reaction. JJ just stuck his head out of the door and called out. “John B, Kie, Pope, get in here!” 

At the sound, Kie got up the fastest, the other boys following close behind. “What’s wrong, JJ?” Kiara asked and JJ stepped back, letting them in the room. JJ spoke through a grimace, trying not to freak Charlie out. “Charlie accidentally ate three edibles. And she’s never been high before. So I need your help.” John B let out a low whistle. Charlie shook her head. “It’s okay, guys, I hardly feel anything.” Kie nodded slowly and sat next to Charlie on the bed. “Right. Why don’t you just lay down, Charlie? How’s the hand?” 

Charlie laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling fan. She lifted her hand, her knuckles now swollen and her thumb a blossoming shade of purple. “It feels...floaty. From the ice, I’m sure.” Pope laughed. “Yeah. The ice, that’s all.” Charlie laid her hand back down. “JJ?”

“What, Walker?” He asked. “Am I gonna die?” She asked, looking nervous.” JJ laughed, her question easing the tension. “No one’s ever died from being high, Walker, you’re fine.” Pope shook his head. “I mean, statistically, you can’t really prove that no one has ever-” The other three Pogues shot him all a glare. “Shut _up_ , Pope!” John B said in exasperation. Charlie waved her hand in dismissal, still staring up at the fan. “It’s okay. Tell my parents I love them. Jamie too. JJ, you can take my job at the ice cream shop. Free ice cream for all you guys, for life.” 

Kiara laughed and laid back with her. “That’s nice of you. Who’s Jamie?” JJ came over and laid back on the other side of Charlie and held her free hand. “Jamie's my little brother. He’s eleven.” 

“Yeah?” Kiara replied, amused.

“Yeah. He kept making fun of me and you after the other day, Maybank.” Charlie told JJ. 

John B grinned. “What was the other day?” 

Charlie scowled. “When JJ wouldn’t make a damn move and kiss me.” 

JJ put his hand over Charlie’s mouth. “Quit talking, Walker.” 

She licked his hand and he pulled it back quickly. “Gross!” 

Charlie looked smug. “It’s okay to be shy, Maybank.” 

Pope laughed and JJ bit back a snarky reply, rolling his eyes.

“I’m not getting you high again if you’re gonna be so loose-lipped,” he grumbled. “You know what, you guys can leave, I got this handled.” 

“No!” Charlie insisted, sitting up and putting pressure on her hand. She gasped and JJ took it from her, kissing her knuckles gently. “I like your friends,” she sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. “My friends are annoying,” JJ replied, shaking his head. Kiara laughed. “Don’t listen to him, he loves us.” Pope looked at Charlie, curious. “So..how did this fight start anyway?” Charlie wrinkled her nose. “He was being rude to JJ, and then JJ was prob’ly gonna hit him and I didn’t want to cause a scene at the country club. But...then he spit in my face, on accident maybe? So I hit him. I didn’t mean to.” 

“Hold on, he _spit_ in your _face_?” John B asked incredulously. 

JJ nodded in confirmation. “It wasn’t an accident. I think he meant to spit in mine but I stepped back and she stepped forward. Either way, I’m gonna murder him next time I see him.” 

Charlie frowned. “No, I hate fighting, don’t do that. He’s not a bad person, he’s just done bad things.” 

Kiara looked at her skeptically. “...Which makes him a bad person. Don’t defend him, Charlie.” 

Charlie shrugged and looked down at her lap. “Habit, I guess.” 

JJ put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “Does your hand feel any better? It’s been a while...the edibles will probably kick in soon.” 

Charlie let out a dramatic sigh, as if the thought had just re-occurred to her. She stared at her hand, watching the growing purple bruise swirl with the gold of her rings before her eyes. JJ reached out and waved his hand gently in front of her. “Hello? Earth to Charlie?” It sounded like there was radio static in her ears. She flinched. “Huh?” He laughed and tilted her chin up with a finger. “You feeling it, Walker?” Charlie frowned. “Feeling what? What am I supposed to be feeling?” JJ grimaced. “I was worried about this. Why don’t we go for a walk, okay?” 

Charlie looked down at her feet, like it took all the concentration in the world, and tried lifting her leg. She looked anxiously toward JJ. “I think I’m concreted in.” Kiara laughed a little before standing up, offering her hand. “Let’s get up, Charlie, go walk with JJ. You’ll feel better.”

It took JJ, John B, and Pope all tugging at Charlie - carefully, because of her hand - to convince her that her legs and arms weren’t actually cemented onto the bed. JJ finally got her outside and the two walked at a snail’s pace, Charlie leaning into JJ. They only made it to the hammock before JJ had enough and settled her in, gently cuddling in next to her. “Do you think my thumb is really broken?” Charlie asked, then squeezed her thumb. It was getting more swollen by the minute, and her touch made tears spring to her eyes. “Probably just sprained, Walker, but don’t touch it.” He shifted so she could lay her head back on his chest. Charlie frowned, tears leaking from her eyes. “I don’t wanna go to jail, JJ!” 

JJ laughed, playing with her hair. “Why are you gonna go to jail, pretty girl?” Charlie sighed. “Because this is very illegal and they’re going to find out. The po...the police. And then I’m never gonna be able to scoop ice cream again, because my thumb is gonna fall off, and I’ll be doomed to a life of no ice cream.” JJ grinned. “No one’s going to find out, pretty girl, I won’t tell them. Our secret. But I’ll sneak you ice cream if you go to jail.” 

Charlie turned to look up at JJ. “They’re going to send me to jail for punching Rafe. I don’t know why I did it. I got scared.” 

“Well if you didn’t hit him, I certainly would have taken care of him for you...wait, what?” JJ’s brow furrowed and he paused, his hand threaded through her hair. “You’re scared of him?”

Charlie nodded. “He yelled a lot when we dated. And he would fight people all the time. He’s scary.” She looked back out at the Chateau, a small frown on her face. “JJ, I don’t like being high.” 

JJ wrapped both arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head. She ran a finger down the veins on his forearm. “I won’t make you do it again. You also did it wrong...but we’ll worry about that later.” He paused. “He never hit you. Right?” 

Charlie hesitated before answering. “No. He didn’t. He’s just scary.” 

JJ nodded, unconvinced. “Okay. Let’s take a nap, Charlie, you’ll feel better soon.” 

_______________________________________________________________________

After a long nap with JJ in the hammock, Charlie came down from her high. She was convinced she reeked of weed (she didn’t, the joint was only out for five minutes before she had the edibles), so he dropped her off at Grace’s house so she could spend the night without worrying. JJ pulled up to Grace’s house and checked her hand for her, concerned. “You need to ice that again. And maybe get a splint if you can find one.” Charlie nodded. “Thanks for helping me.” 

“Anytime, Walker.” JJ said, then leaned in to kiss her cheek. Charlie turned her head and caught his lips with hers at the last moment, leaning across the center console. JJ brought his hand up to the back of her head, pulling her in closer. The two kept kissing until he bumped his knee on the steering wheel, setting off the horn, and they jumped apart. 

He looked up to see Grace standing on her front porch, arms crossed. He gave her a sheepish wave, ducking his head. “You should probably go..” Charlie blushed and bit her lip. “I’m going to be in trouble with her.” JJ kept his eyes trained on her lips and reached over and brushed his thumb across them. “Don’t bite your lip like that.” Charlie smirked and lowered her voice. “Why, you like it?” He groaned, shifting in his seat. “Get out, Walker.” She laughed and got out, but turned and blew him a kiss before shutting the door. He watched her until she disappeared into Grace’s house, then let his head fall back against the headrest. “God damn,” he murmured to himself, then drove away. 

The smile left Charlie’s face the second Grace grabbed her hand inside the house. Charlie gasped, yanking her hand away. “Shit, Grace, careful!” Grace frowned. “What the hell happened?!” Charlie hesitated. “Surfing accident.” Grace crossed her arms. “Bullshit, Charlie, don’t lie to me. Your hair is dry and you’re wearing a dress.” 

Charlie sighed and went up to Grace’s room, shut the door, then turned to her friend and explained the whole story. Including the fake boyfriend plan. Grace had a skeptical look on her face the entire time. “You really expect to pull this off with JJ and then to go back to school, no sweat off your back?” Charlie shrugged. “Well, yeah, why not? He’s down.” Grace rolled her eyes. “And you can tell me seriously there’s no feelings involved? After you just made out with him in my driveway?” Charlie paused, and Grace pointed her finger accusingly. “Break it off.” 

Charlie frowned. “Look, you should have seen him this afternoon, he wouldn’t leave my side.” 

Grace threw her hands up in exasperation. “Yeah, because he probably felt guilty because it’s his fault your hand is fucked up!”

“It’s not his fault!” Charlie exclaimed. Her phone, sitting on the bed, lit up, three texts from JJ displayed on her screen.

Grace grabbed it before Charlie could and scanned the flirty messages, shaking her head. “You’re gonna get hurt and I’m not going to feel sorry for you. I warned you about him, Charlie.” 

Charlie shook her head insistently. “I swear, he’s not like that. Just let me play out this thing with Rafe and then we’ll go back to ignoring each other at school.” Grace raised her eyebrows. “He doesn’t ignore you.” Charlie paused. “What do you mean?” 

Grace sighed. “For god’s sake, you’re oblivious. That boy glances at you at every damn party like he’s checking to make sure no one touches you. Do you not remember, freshman year, he brought you back to the dorms when you were blacked out for the first time?” Charlie tilted her head, brows furrowing. “I...no. I just remember drinking at Beta then waking up in my dorm bed.” Grace nodded. “I don’t know why. But after that he’s always been around. You don’t even see half the guys he redirects away from flirting with you.” Charlie crossed her arms. “Oh. Huh. So why are you so against this?” 

Grace gave her friend a look, softening her tone. “Because I see that you’re falling, and I’m not letting you start senior year with a broken heart. You let people in too easily.” 

Charlie stood, grabbing her phone and her purse. “Maybe if you actually let people in, you wouldn’t have to complain about getting fucked over after only having one-night stands.” She retorted. 

Grace’s face turned to stone. “Get out,” she spat angrily. 

Charlie immediately looked regretful. “Grace, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it -” 

Grace cut her off. “I know. But I don’t want to look at you right now. Go sleep in the guest room.” 

Charlie let out a small sigh of relief and left, retreating to the guest room. She texted JJ. 

_Charlie: did you help me freshman year?_

_JJ: What do you mean_

_Charlie: when I blacked out_

_JJ: Yes, I got you back to Columbia Hall and then stayed up with you while you threw up like half your stomach_

_JJ: Why_

_Charlie: no reason just curious_

_Charlie: we should have a third rule_

_JJ: What’s the third rule_

_Charlie: we end this before going back to school_

Three dots popped up instantly, like JJ was typing, then disappeared. Then reappeared. Then disappeared and reappeared again. After an agonizing twenty minutes later, he responded. 

_JJ: Fine_

She set her phone down and lied back on the bed, staring at the ceiling as she thought. A couple hours later, she knocked gently on Grace’s door and let herself in. Grace raised her eyebrows, arms crossed. “You here to apologize?” Charlie frowned. “I’m really sorry Grace, I shouldn’t have said that. You’re right.” Grace nodded. “About?” 

Charlie relented. “About JJ. It’s probably not going to end well.” Grace sighed and patted the bed next to her. “Yeah. But I think the plan’s probably effective to piss Rafe off. Just keep him at an arm’s distance and keep your damn feelings out of it, and then end it before the summer ends.” Charlie quirked her eyebrow. “You think I can do that?” Grace shrugged. “Probably not. But I’ll keep you in check. No feelings.” Charlie nodded slowly as she thought about it. “No feelings,” she repeated. “Easy.” 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: mentions of sex, drinking, violence, possible triggering mention of abuse, all characters are 21+

After the fight, JJ texted Charlie consistently to check in, giving her advice about her hand and asking to hang out again. In an effort to keep JJ at arm’s length, Charlie kept her texts short and sweet. It had been a month since they first flirted at the party at the start of the summer.

It took a few days for JJ to get the hint, but he eventually backed off with his texting. Their run-ins around the island - at the grocery store, passing him and the Pogues at the Wreck as she went to work - were fairly infrequent, but friendly. He even ran into Grace on the beach and inquired about her, but loyal as always, she just rolled her eyes and left him with a “she’s doing just fine, Maybank.” After a week, JJ had enough and reached out again.

_JJ: Party this Friday?_

_Charlie: you’re throwing one?_

_JJ: No, Cameron is_

_Charlie: rafe invited you to a party??_

_JJ: Sorry, I meant Sarah, but he’ll probably be there_

_JJ: Perfect opportunity for your plan?_

_Charlie: I’ll meet you there_

_JJ: Can’t wait to see you, Walker_

_Charlie: 🙄_

_JJ: 😘_

* * *

Charlie showed up late to the party for no good reason at all, wearing her typical beach party attire of a bright red bikini top and jean shorts. Looking around at the rest of the Kooks, she felt out of place, wishing she had at least thrown on a skirt. It didn’t take long for JJ to find her, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pressing a kiss to her temple. “Hi, Walker. You look pretty,” he murmured to her. He lifted her bruised hand carefully, inspecting it. The bruise was yellowing and her thumb, having stayed in a splint for the past week, was back to its normal size. “Hi JJ. It’s mainly healed,” she said. “Good,” he replied. She leaned back into his touch. She hadn’t realized how much she missed being around him, inhaling his familiar scent, a mix of woodsy cologne and spearmint. There was something so reassuring about the way she fit just right in his embrace. “Did I miss anything?”

He shook his head and gently grabbed her hips, turning her in to face him. “No, but I waited for you to get here before I started drinking and I need a pong partner. And I know you’re good. I’ve seen you dominate on Thursday nights.” She grinned. “Who are we up against?” He grinned back and took her hand, leading her through the crowd. John B and Sarah were at the other end of the table and Sarah was double fisting two White Claws, already leaning into John B. She waved excitedly at Charlie. JJ ducked his head and whispered into Charlie’s hair, his lips brushing against her ear. “You thought you had a low tolerance, meet drunky over here.” She barely heard him, her heart beating faster at his touch.

“Are you two done flirting and ready to play?” John B called out across the table, hitting JJ with a ping pong ball. JJ caught it after the bounce and took a shot, the ball sinking into the cup with a small splash. Charlie grinned. “Nice, Maybank!” JJ smirked, handing her the ball after Sarah missed her shot by a wide margin. He stood close behind her, his arms snaking around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. Charlie tossed the ball, it bouncing off the rim of the cup. “Don’t let me down, pretty girl,” he murmured into her ear. Charlie closed her eyes, mumbling back. “I can’t concentrate with you so close.” JJ grinned, trailing a finger down her hip and along the frayed hem of her shorts. “Yeah?”

Charlie shivered and swatted at his hand, stepping out of his grip. “Do you want to win or not?”

JJ shrugged. “I can think of more fun things we could be doing.”

Charlie immediately blushed, eyes widening. “Like what?”

JJ just laughed and drained another shot into John B and Sarah’s cups. “I’ll let you interpret that.”

To Charlie, it felt like the game dragged on for forever, JJ teasing her the entire time. His breath on her neck. His hips pressing into hers from behind. His hand gripping her hip, his thumb rubbing circles on her hip bone. The second Charlie sunk the final shot to win the game, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the nearest private place she could find - which just so happened to be the pantry.

“What on earth are you doing?” She questioned, flicking the light on and crossing her arms.

JJ stepped close, backing her against a shelf. “What do you think I’m doing?”

“I don’t know, but I need you to do something or quit altogether.”

He smirked. “Needy girl.”

“God damnit, Maybank, I can’t stand the teasing.” Charlie whined.

“Then why were you practically avoiding me all week?” JJ asked, resting his forearms on the wall above her head.

She frowned slightly. “I wasn’t.”

“You were.” JJ said pointedly. “Is it because of the fight?”

Charlie shook her head. “No, not at all. I just..I just needed to be sure this is what I wanted to do.”

JJ quirked an eyebrow, leaning closer. “Is it?”

She nodded, confident. “Yes. I want to be with - um, I want to do this with you.” 

JJ paused at her slip of the tongue. “Do what?”

Charlie stumbled over her words. “Um. The plan.”

“Right. The plan. Well, we can’t make a man jealous from inside the pantry.” He reasoned, taking another step forward and pressing his hips into hers. 

Charlie reached over and flicked off the light. “I don’t care, just kiss me.”

That was enough for JJ. He crashed his lips down into hers and she kissed back heatedly, wrapping her arms around his neck. She moaned softly into the kiss and grabbed at the hem of his shirt, tugging up. “Off.” JJ grinned against her lips. “Demanding, aren’t we?”

“Shut it, I’m hardly wearing a shirt, it’s only fair,” Charlie mumbled back, tossing his shirt aside. JJ slid his hands under her ass, lifting her, and Charlie wrapped her legs around his waist. She left open-mouthed kisses along his jaw up to his ear, nipping at his earlobe with her teeth. He groaned loudly and she pressed her lips against his. “Shh. I don’t want to get caught.”

She threaded her fingers through his hair, raking her nails against his scalp and rocked her hips against his. He quickly moved one of his hands to her hip to stop her, pulling back from the kiss. “If you keep doing that we’re gonna have a problem on our hands,” he warned, gesturing to his already-evident hard on. Charlie smirked. “Can’t control yourself, Maybank?”

He shook his head seriously. “You’re the one that pulled me in here!”

“Because your hands were all over me!” She retorted.

He smirked. “No they weren’t. Just wait ‘til I actually have my hands all over you, then you won’t be able to control yourself.” He slipped his thumb under the edge of her swim top, tracing it down the side of her chest and around her back. “You look killer in red.”

Charlie let out a soft moan, her nipples hard through her fabric. “Shut up and let me kiss you.” She pulled his head down to hers, her tongue slipping in to explore her mouth. He groaned, his grip on her ass tightening.

Suddenly the door swung open and the pantry was flooded with light. JJ swung around, caught off guard, and Charlie buried her face in his shoulder, embarrassed. Sarah stood in the doorway, clearly plastered, and giggled. “Oh shit, sorry guys, um, maybe find a better place to hook up though?” JJ glared at Sarah and pointed at the door. “Cameron, get out.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, I just wanted a snack. Whatever.”

She closed the door and JJ reached over to flick on the lights. He let her down gently and laughed, sheepish. Charlie covered her face with her hands. “Oh my god, that’s so embarrassing.” JJ took her hands from her face and smirked. “I’m gonna take this opportunity to remind you that you’re the one that came on to me, baby.” Charlie sighed, pretending to be annoyed. “Again. Not your baby.” He grinned and leaned in to kiss her again but she ducked out from under him. “Wait, that’s it? You’re really gonna leave me with blue balls?” He complained.

Charlie gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. “There. Better?” She glanced toward his hard on and smirked when she saw it, proud of her influence.

“We could do it in Rafe’s bedroom,” he suggested eagerly.

Charlie pretended to gag and grabbed his shirt from the floor, shoving it against his chest. “Literally nothing sounds worse.”

He laughed and pulled his shirt on, then reached out and smoothed her hair. “You look like you just got fucked.” He grinned, running his thumb against her lips.

She bit it playfully. “In my dreams.” She grinned back, hearing JJ’s groan in response, then walked out of the pantry alone.

JJ stood in the pantry for a good five minutes, thinking about math problems and his old-as-hell professor to will his erection away. He finally left the pantry and went back to the pong table by Sarah and the rest of the Pogues, but Charlie was nowhere to be found. “Where’s Charlie?” He asked John B. John B shrugged. “Weren’t you just with her?” JJ frowned and doubled back.

He heard a pair of voices as he moved further away from the party and closer to the hallway by the bedrooms. He stopped in his tracks, seeing Rafe alone with Charlie. “I just wanna talk, Charlotte,” Rafe breathed against Charlie’s ear, trapping her against the wall. Charlie shuddered, smelling the alcohol on his breath. She pushed him off of her and JJ walked closer. “Charlie? You alright?”

Rafe quickly turned, hearing JJ’s voice. “She’s fine, pogue, just making sure her hand’s alright. Had to show her that she left a scar.” He growled, gesturing to a small nick from her ring under his partly-healed black eye.

Charlie quickly moved to stand by JJ and he put his arm around her shoulders. “Leave her alone, Rafe,” JJ bit out in a surprisingly even tone.

Rafe smirked at JJ, raising his solo cup in a mock toast. “Did she learn that hit from you? I’m not surprised, it was solid.” He sneered at Charlie. “Control your bitch, Maybank.”

JJ raised his fist as he stepped toward Rafe and Charlie stepped in front of him, cutting off his path. “ _Don’t, JJ_ ,” she urged. JJ scowled. “Fuck you, Rafe, don’t talk about her like that.”

Rafe shrugged and just smiled. “Sluts should be treated as such.”

Charlie shoved Rafe, hard. “Rafe. Shut the fuck up. Walk away.”

JJ had his fists clenched and he was practically shaking with rage, seeing red.

Rafe smirked and held his ground. He looked Charlie directly in the eye, straightening his posture so he was looking down his nose at her. “That dirty mouth is exactly why you deserved to be cheated on.”

At that, JJ lunged past Charlie and swung, but Rafe ducked in time. He grabbed a fistful of JJ’s shirt and they both went down, swinging fists back and forth. JJ slammed his fist into Rafe’s cheek and Rafe responded quickly, punching JJ square in the mouth.

Charlie yelled out, afraid to move. “JJ, Rafe, stop!”

As the commotion got louder, a small crowd gathered. It didn’t take long for John B and Pope to come sprinting down the hall, Kiara and Sarah just behind. Topper and Kelce followed. John B grabbed JJ and pulled him off of Rafe, Topper doing the same. JJ was able to get a well-placed kick to Rafe’s groin as John B dragged him away and Rafe groaned, buckling at his knees. As the fight broke up, people started returning to the party and Rafe was brought into his room to be fixed up. John B finally let go of JJ once he stopped fighting to go after Rafe again.

Charlie just stared at JJ with wide eyes once John B let him go. JJ frowned and stepped forward to embrace her in a hug, but Charlie stepped back. “Charlie, I just…I was trying to protect you.” He tried, faltering at her expression. Charlie shook her head. “It’s...fine. I’m just gonna..um, clear my head.” She turned and hurriedly left back toward the party, out to the backyard. Kiara watched her go, then stopped JJ from following her. “I’ll go find her. Give her a minute.” JJ watched his friend follow after Charlie, then sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck.” John B sympathetically clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Out at the party, Charlie sat alone way out in the backyard, looking out at the water with her knees pulled up to her chest. She couldn’t stop replaying the visual of JJ throwing punches left and right, without hesitation. “Charlie?” Kie asked, stepping up behind her. “Are you okay?” Charlie nodded, eyes trained on the ocean. Kie sat next to her, glancing over her for any signs of a fight on her part. “What happened?” She asked gently. Charlie ran her hands over her face, sighing. “Um, I went to go find the bathroom and Rafe ran into me. He was just being a dick, and then JJ found us and Rafe said some...stuff to piss him off.” Charlie frowned. “I wish he could have just walked away.”

Kiara laughed softly. “JJ will never walk away if someone talks shit about someone he cares about.” Charlie shrugged. “I doubt he feels like that about me.” Kie frowned a little. “He’s worried about you. Can I tell him you’re out here?” Charlie paused, then nodded. “Yeah.” Kiara got up, then turned back to Charlie before walking away. “Be careful with him, all right?” She left, leaving Charlie wondering.

Ten minutes later, JJ walked up and sat next to Charlie, leaving some space between them. Charlie moved over and filled the space, leaning into him slightly. He wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her shoulders gently. She looked up and examined his face. He was sporting a split lip, but nothing more. “Are you alright, Charlie? What happened? He didn’t touch you, did he?” He asked, concerned. Charlie nodded. “I’m fine. After I left you, I was looking for the bathroom and we ran into each other. You found us pretty quickly.”

JJ frowned, playing with her hair to comfort her. “Why did you come out here?” he asked. Charlie tilted her head toward him as he gently combed through her hair with his fingers and bit her lip, thinking before she spoke. “I hate fighting. Rafe used to get into fights all the time when we dated, it freaked me out every time. Seeing him violent like that.” JJ sighed quietly and sat her up so he could look her in the eye. “Did he ever hit you, Charlie?” Charlie shook her head quickly. “No, no, never. He just yelled a lot. He just wasn’t very nice,” she understated.

“Why didn’t you just walk away, JJ? Why do you always fight?” JJ’s frown deepened. “It’s a long story.” Charlie crossed her arms. “I have time.” JJ shook his head. “No, it’s not like that. I, um.” He shifted, clearly uncomfortable and it was Charlie’s turn to be concerned. “You can trust me, JJ.” He twisted his rings as a nervous habit until she took one of his hands in hers. He closed his eyes, not wanting to look at her. “Uh. My mom left when I was younger, and my dad wasn’t too happy about that growing up. We got in fights a lot.” He opened his eyes, afraid of Charlie’s reaction. “All parents fight with their kids,” she replied, confused. JJ swallowed and looked down at his feet. “Not like mine.”

It clicked and Charlie let out a small sigh. “Oh, JJ...” JJ ran his hand through his hair, not making eye contact. “It’s fine. I don’t want to talk about it. I moved in with John B the second I turned 18 so I’ve had time to get over it.” Charlie moved closer and put her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in so his head was on her chest. He leaned into her as she held him tight. “I’m so sorry, JJ. I wouldn’t have asked,” she murmured. JJ shook his head. “S’okay. I just hate hearing him talk about you like that. You don’t deserve that trash.” She pressed a kiss into his hair. “I don’t want you to get hurt over me.”

“I’m okay. He’s a shit fighter anyway.” JJ mumbled.

Charlie laughed softly. “Not the point, J.”

He sat up a little. “That’s new.”

“Hm?”

“J. You’ve never called me that.”

Charlie paused. “Is that okay?”

JJ nodded, settling back into her. “I like it.” Charlie smiled and ran her fingers through his hair for a few minutes as the two of them sat together in silence. She pressed another kiss into his hair and shook her head to herself, thinking. “JJ?”

“Yeah?”

“My cousin is getting married next week. Do you want to go with me?”

He sat up quickly. “You want _me_ to be at your cousin’s wedding?” He sounded a little incredulous. “Why, is Rafe gonna be there?”

Charlie shook her head. “No, no, of course not.”

“So...why are you inviting me?”

Charlie flicked his arm. “Because I like you, Maybank.”

JJ beamed at her affirmation. “You’re alright,” he teased. Charlie scowled and poked his side, and JJ did the same. Charlie flinched away, laughing. “Watch your hands!”

“You didn’t mind them earlier, Walker.” He smirked. “And we never finished what we started…”

Charlie blushed. “You’re trouble.”

He grinned. “You like trouble.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: NSFW SMUT, drinking, swearing, all characters are 21+

It had been a month and a half into JJ and Charlie’s ‘fake dating’ scheme, but anyone who didn’t know the secret would think they were actually dating. The two were touchy all the time, at parties, hanging out at the Chateau, especially when they were alone in her room, but Charlie always stopped him just before it got any further than their shirts coming off. (JJ would have been just fine with things continuing.) Even Grace eventually came around, seeing how protective and caring he was. He was a regular at the ice cream shop and often went as far as hanging out with Jamie sometimes, tossing the football with him or helping him learn how to surf. The two of them seemed like the ideal couple, but they both had the ‘fake boyfriend/girlfriend’ plan in the back of their head any time they considered anything more. 

The night before the wedding, JJ and Charlie were at a party at the Boneyard, acting handsy like always. They were both drunk after multiple rounds of tequila shots (JJ’s favorite, Charlie tolerated) and Fireball (Charlie’s favorite, and it became JJ’s after seeing how much Charlie loosened up with it). 

Charlie had been teasing JJ all night. After an entire song of Charlie grinding against his hips, JJ had had enough. He pulled Charlie away from the party, despite her protests, and toward the Twinkie. It was on its last leg, but all the Pogues pitched in for maintenance every few months because they couldn’t bear to part with it. Charlie reached up on her toes to kiss JJ. “I don’t wanna go home yet, Maybank, I’m having fun!” He rolled his eyes. When she was drunk, he tended to start backing off the alcohol to keep a closer eye on her. “We’re not going home, you just need to sober up a little. Get in.” Charlie frowned but crawled in the van. JJ sat next to her and pulled out a water bottle from beneath the seat, handing it to her. “Drink.” 

* * *

“So demanding.” She wrinkled her nose but obliged, taking a tiny sip. “There. Let’s go back, I wanna dance.” JJ laughed. “Absolutely not, finish the water. No more drinking, you’ll love me for it when you’re not hungover at the wedding tomorrow.” Charlie sighed but chugged the bottle, knowing he was right. Once she finished she moved to JJ’s lap, straddling him. She kissed him hard, but he pulled back. 

“Charlie.” He said in a warning tone. She grinned. “What, Maybank?” She began unbuttoning the rest of his shirt (she had already unbuttoned the top three with her teeth earlier on a dare). He slapped at her hand gently. “Walker, you’ve been teasing me all night, quit.” She leaned back, keeping her knees on either side of his hips, and looked at him as she bit her lip. He reached out and traced his thumb over her cheekbone. “You _know_ what that does to me, Charlie, stop it.” She just laughed. “I’m not doing anything.” She started kissing along his jaw, sucking gently on his neck as she rolled her hips. 

He grabbed her hips to stop her, letting out a groan. “ _Charlie_.” She ignored him and unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, tracing her fingers along the top of his jeans. She kissed him hard and rocked her hips against his, feeling him grow beneath her. JJ stayed still beneath her, trying to think of anything but the girl currently on his lap. He pulled away again and held her face with both hands, holding her away from him. “Charlotte Walker, if you roll your hips one more damn time, I swear I’m going to kill you.” She smirked and bit her lip, then rolled her hips ever. So. Slowly. 

JJ groaned. “Walker. Please.” 

Charlie laughed. “All you had to do was ask nicely, J.” She slid off of him and got down on her knees in front of him, then paused. “Are the windows tinted?” 

JJ’s jaw dropped. “Are - are you serious?” He stuttered out. 

Charlie just raised her eyebrows in response. 

“Yes, they’re tinted. Charlie, you don’t have to -” 

Charlie cut him off with a short kiss. “I know. I want to.” She trailed her finger down his chest, then hooked her fingers into the waistband of his shorts, pulling them down to his knees as he lifted his hips. She slipped her hand into his boxers, stroking him a few times. JJ dropped his head back at the action, groaning loudly. “God, Char.” 

“You gotta be quiet, J.” She murmured, then pulled his boxers down, letting his cock spring free. “Holy hell,” she mumbled to herself. He was already hard, thanks to her teasing. JJ laughed and reached down, gathering her hair back. “What was that, Walker?” 

“Shut up, JJ.” She rolled her eyes and leaned forward, licking a stripe up the underside of his cock. That shut him up fast enough. She swirled her tongue around the head, then took it into her mouth, taking it in little by little. She wrapped a hand in a fist around the base of his cock to make up for what her mouth couldn’t cover. JJ bucked his hips and she gagged slightly, slapping his abs with her free hand. “S-sorry.” He panted out. 

Charlie started bobbing her head up and down on him, her wrist making the same motion. JJ groaned as she looked up at him through her eyelashes. “Oh my god. Holy shit. You’re so good at that, pretty girl.” He kept complimenting, struggling to stay quiet. Charlie moaned around him and a string of curses fell from his lips. “I’m close, Charlie.” He mumbled. 

She took her mouth off of him and kept pumping him, her pace increasing. “Go ahead.” She placed her lips back on his cock, taking in as much as she could at once. JJ grabbed at her hair, throwing his head back. “Oh, fuck, Charlie!” She swallowed and pumped him slowly, milking him of the rest of his cum. Once he finished he slumped back against the seats, eyes closed. “Oh my god.” 

She smirked, wiping her lips off with the back of her hand and running her fingers through her hair. “Was that okay?” JJ was at a loss for words. “Was that - oh my god, was that okay? Holy fuck. I feel like I’ve been waiting for that orgasm for years.” She grinned and kissed him chastely on the lips. “Cool. See you back at the party.” She got out, leaving him with his cock out, and shut the door, walking back to the crowd alone. 

JJ watched her go with his jaw hanging open, then quickly scrambled to tuck his cock back into his boxers, tugging his shorts up quickly. He surveyed his appearance in the mirror and ran his hands through his hair to fix it, then took his time walking back to the party. He concentrated hard on the sand, trying not to think of his girlfriend - no, fake girlfriend’s lips on his cock all of ten minutes ago. 

Charlie was refilling her drink when he returned to the party and he caught her eye from a distance. He shook his head and mouthed “no” at her, trying to make sure she didn’t go overboard. She grinned, lifted her cup in a toast to him, and licked her lips slowly before drinking. 

JJ came closer and she wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a quick kiss. “Hi,” she smiled. 

He looked incredulous. “ _Cool_? You just did -” he gestured wildly in the direction of the van “- all that and all you have to say is _cool_?” 

Charlie shrugged, trying not to let a smile betray her lips. 

Pope walked over to refill his cup. “JJ, where’d you go? You missed Charlie doing a Vegas bomb. She crushed that.” He grinned, offering a high five to Charlie. Charlie paused and glanced at her hands before high-fiving him back with a smile, using the hand she didn’t just have wrapped around JJ’s cock. 

The tips of JJ’s ears turned red and he shifted in embarrassment, grabbing Charlie’s shoulders and putting her in front of him to block any view of his crotch. “Uh, just needed some fresh air, you know?” 

Pope eyed him curiously. “Right,” he replied, then walked away. 

Charlie leaned back into him, knowing exactly why she had to move. “I thought I already took care of that, JJ?” She smirked as he gripped her shoulders, pushing her away so she wasn’t touching him. “Let’s talk about the Vegas bomb. I told you no more drinking,” JJ admonished. She laughed and turned to face him, deliberately adjusting her bikini in front of him. “And you thought I would listen to you?” JJ’s eyes were trained on her chest before he glanced up with a pained expression. “Charlie, no more teasing, I’m going to combust.” She laughed. “You already did.”

JJ groaned and he screwed his eyes shut to think of something else. “ _Charlotte_.” He warned. She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, I let that slide back there, but that’s not going to be a regular thing, Maybank.” He laughed, relaxing a bit. “Okay. That’s fair.” She grinned and turned to walk away. “Come watch, me and Sarah are gonna do body shots.” JJ’s jaw dropped - for the second time that evening - and he took a second for the words to reach his brain before he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. “I think the fuck not.” Charlie stumbled a bit, her drunkenness betraying her, and she giggled as she put her hand on JJ’s chest to steady herself. “Why not? They’re fun.” 

JJ raised his eyebrows. “I don’t want anyone’s lips on yours but mine.” 

Charlie blushed, then paused. “You’re not my boyfriend. You can’t tell me what to do.” 

JJ frowned, knowing not to pursue the conversation right now in the heat of the moment, not to mention that Charlie was hammered and probably wouldn’t remember the conversation. “We’re still stuck on that?” 

Charlie raised her eyebrows, not wanting to give in. “I’m not your girl. Remember the third rule, J.” 

“Fuck the third rule,” JJ challenged. Charlie frowned and pulled her wrist out of his grip. “I’m gonna get Grace to take me home. I’ll pick you up tomorrow for the wedding.” She hesitated, then kissed him on the cheek. “Night, J.” She walked off and JJ didn’t follow her. For once. 

_______________________________________________________________________

Charlie found Grace pretty quickly and the upset look on Charlie’s face was enough for Grace to ditch the boy she was flirting with to help her friend home. On the ride back, Charlie drunkenly told her best friend the conversation with JJ. “Oh, yeah, and I sucked him off in the van.” 

Grace practically screamed. “You did _what_?!” 

Charlie whined and covered her ears. “Grace, shh.” 

Grace shook her head. “This isn’t fair to him. You either need to make this shit official or break it off, you’re gonna break his heart.” 

Charlie whipped her head over, confused. “You don’t even like him!” 

Grace shrugged. “He’s grown on me. He treats you well, don’t hurt him, Charlie.” 

Charlie groaned. “This is so confusing.” 

Grace shook her head. “Well, think about how the poor boy feels.” 

Charlie threw up her hands. “Whose side are you on anyways?” 

Grace pulled into her driveway and frowned. “I’m on your side, always. But that’s exactly why I’m rooting for him.” 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: NSFW SMUT, drinking, swearing, all characters are 21+

The next morning, Charlie woke up with a pounding headache and almost no memory of last night - wait, she vaguely remembered shots after shots after shots, and some...illicit activities in the back of the Pogue’s van. She definitely remembered that. After spending the majority of the morning on the floor of the bathroom next to the toilet, she got up and texted JJ before getting ready. 

_Charlie: morning sunshine!_

_JJ: I just threw up twelve of my organs_

_Charlie: me too, but puke and rally, Maybank_

_JJ: When are you picking me up? I got the suit from the rental place_

_Charlie: in a couple hours, eat lunch before. see you soon xo_

JJ stared at his phone in confusion. With the way she texted him so nicely, she must not have remembered the way the night ended. He got ready, but couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Once the clock hit one, he was outside on the front porch, waiting nervously with his hands shoved in his pockets, feeling reminiscent of their first date. He tried to play it cool, but he couldn’t ignore the feeling of his heart hammering against his chest. 

* * *

JJ had straightened his tie about twelve times before Kiara told him she was going to yank it off the next time he touched it. “You look great, JJ. She’s gonna love it. Now relax.” She admonished, pulling him into a hug. He relaxed at the touch. “Thanks, Kie. Appreciate it.” She smiled, then went inside as Charlie’s car pulled into the driveway. All of the Pogues and Sarah watched from the living room. Charlie walked up in a hot pink cowl midi dress with a slit that went halfway up her thigh. JJ gulped upon seeing her, but uncharacteristically, his eyes were trained on her broad smile. The way she looked at him made his stomach do somersaults. Charlie laughed as she recognized four sets of eyes peeking through the blinds, and waved. The blinds were shut immediately. 

JJ looked her over appreciatively. “Wow. You look incredible, Charlie.” She grinned. “Thank you. You look so handsome, I’ve never seen you clean up like this.” She kissed him quickly, then reached up and ran her fingers through her hair, messing it up a little. “That’s much better.” After a knock on the window as a reminder, JJ laughed and offered her his arm. “Ready?” Charlie smiled and took his arm, walking back to the car, then let him take the keys and drive them to the venue. 

Before they got out of the car, she reached over and pulled a small box out of the center console, taking his wrist. “What are you doing?” He asked, confused. She flicked open the box to show him a pair of small silver cufflinks, with the University of South Carolina crest emblazoned upon them. “I wanted to get you a gift.” She unbuttoned the cuff of his sleeve, holding the back of the links in her teeth. “You didn’t have to do that, Charlie.” JJ murmured, his heart rate increasing just from her fingers around his wrist. Charlie locked the links, nodding. “I know. I wanted to.” She squeezed his hand gently before letting go. “There. Now we can go in.” He grinned, leaning over and kissing her cheek sweetly. “You really do look beautiful, Charlie. In case I hadn’t told you that.” She blushed and shoved his shoulder gently. “Quit. Come on, we’re going to be late.” 

At the wedding, JJ was the ultimate gentleman - holding her hand, opening all the doors for her, pulling out chairs at the table for her and her mom. She showed him off proudly throughout the night, introducing him to all her family and family friends, her arm wrapped around his waist. After spending quite a few songs dancing at the reception, she brought him back to sit at their table to take a break from her heels. JJ scooted his chair close so she could rest her head on his shoulder. “Um...do you remember last night? You were pretty drunk at the end.” Charlie grinned. “Of course I remember last night. I’m never going to forget your face in the van, J.” He laughed sheepishly. “Right. That’s it.” He trailed off like he wanted to say more, but kept his mouth shut.

Charlie didn’t pick up on it and laughed, then got up when a slow song came on. “Come on. Dance with me.” JJ got up, following her to the dance floor. He held her in position for a waltz and Charlie paused for a moment, surprised. “What are you doing?” He lifted his hand and twirled her. “You don’t know how to waltz, pretty girl?” She blushed at the nickname. “No, you’ll have to teach me.” He walked her through the steps slowly ‘til she got the hang of it, his hands holding her firmly in position. “Where did you learn this?” She laughed as he spun her out on the dance floor, then back into his chest. He grinned. “Part of the pledging process. We have to keep up the southern gentleman rep somehow.” She smiled. “I’ll have to thank your pledge trainer later.” 

He pulled her close and she nestled her head onto his shoulder, nuzzling close to him. JJ hummed along to the song, swaying back and forth with her. He kept his arms wrapped protectively around her, gently rubbing his thumb in languid circles on her back. 

Near the end of the song, he nudged her with his shoulder. “Charlie, can we talk?” Charlie nodded, confused, and walked with him out to the hallway by the hotel ballroom. 

“What’s up?” She tucked her hair behind her ears, fidgeting slightly. 

“First of all, thank you for inviting me. I like being around you.” 

Charlie beamed. “Of course. I wouldn’t want anyone else as my date.” 

JJ acknowledged that with a smile, then hesitated before speaking again. “Um, last night. You said I couldn’t tell you what to do,” he prompted her. 

Charlie furrowed her brow, confused. “I mean, I was drunk. What was I trying to do?” 

He shook his head. “That’s besides the point. You said I couldn’t tell you what to do, because I’m not your boyfriend.” 

Charlie nodded slowly, the conversation coming back to her. “Oh...right. Well. I mean. We’re not exactly dating.” She winced as she said it. 

JJ sighed in frustration, running his hand through his hair. “I can’t do this just to piss some other idiot off that let you go. I - I can’t do this anymore if we’re just going to end it.” 

Charlie frowned and she blinked quickly as she felt tears welling up, thinking the worst. Her voice was small. “Oh. Um. Okay.” 

JJ just stared at her in disappointment. “Okay? That’s it? You’re just gonna let me go?” 

Charlie took a step back at his tone and swallowed, hard. “What do you want me to say, JJ? If you want to end this, go ahead.” 

“Fuck, Charlie, I want you to be my girl! For real! I want to show you off to the damn world and -” He was cut off by Charlie stepping forward and grabbing his tie, pulling him in for a deep kiss. “I thought you didn’t like me like that!” She exclaimed in between kisses. He pulled back for a second, exasperated. “I gave you every damn sign, how could you not tell?” She laughed, disbelieving. “I said I liked you! When I invited you to this, and you didn’t say it back!” He rolled his eyes. “We’re not in fourth grade, what was I supposed to do, pass you a note asking you to check yes or no?” Charlie grinned and shoved his shoulder lightly. “I can’t read your mind, J.” 

He just laughed and took her hand, pulling her down the hall to the elevator. The ride up to the top floor was heated. “God, I’ve been waiting to say that for so long,” JJ murmured against her lips. Charlie grinned, running her hands up his sides. “You should have. No one was stopping you.” Charlie pressed her hips into his and rolled them as he backed her against the mirrored wall. “Fucking tease,” he mumbled, and she nipped at his collarbone as she worked kisses down his neck. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this.” He murmured. 

“Oh, I have an idea.” 

“Then why didn’t you just make a move sooner and we could have fucked by now?” 

Charlie lifted her head from his collarbone. “Wait, you want to -” JJ cut her off with a kiss. “Of course I do, Walker, don’t seem so surprised.” When the elevator dinged, he lifted her over her shoulder and carried her down the hall to their room. She squealed, lightly poking her fists into his back. “Put me down, JJ!” He grinned and squeezed her ass, then carried her into the hotel room. He dropped her on the bed unceremoniously and shed his suit jacket, then yanked at his tie. Charlie kicked off her shoes then got up, helping him undo the knot and unbutton his shirt. 

“You look gorgeous, but I want your dress off.” JJ told her. She turned and he unzipped it for her, tracing his hand along her bare back. “No bra?” She covered her chest and turned back toward him as she stepped out of the dress, giving him his answer. He grinned and pulled her hands away. “Let me see my girl, Walker, you’re so beautiful.” Charlie blushed and sat on the bed. “This isn’t fair, you’re still half-dressed.” JJ smirked and quickly kicked off his pants and socks, then pushed her back gently on the bed. 

He kissed her lips heatedly, his hands roaming everywhere. He traced his finger slowly around her nipple and she shuddered, closing her eyes and letting out a soft moan. “JJ, do something.” He smirked. “Give me time, pretty girl, I plan on spending all night doing something.” Charlie opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Well if you don’t do something now, I - ohh.” She was cut off as JJ leaned down and swirled his tongue around her nipple, his hand firmly on her hip to hold her in place. “You talk too much, baby.” He trailed his tongue across her chest to her other breast, doing the same. 

Charlie shifted underneath him. “J, I want you.” He shook his head, although those words alone were enough to turn him on. “Be patient. I need to repay you for what you did to me last night.” Charlie let out a small whimper in anticipation and he traced his finger along the hem of her panties, then placed an open-mouthed kiss on her clothed pussy. Charlie moaned quietly. He hooked his fingers in the side of her panties, pulling them off her legs and tossing them god-knows-where in the room. He smirked and trailed his finger down from her clit. “You’re soaked for me, Walker.” 

Charlie gasped at the contact, her hips bucking off the bed. JJ reached up and spread her legs, slowly tracing his tongue around her cunt before inserting a finger into her. “More, J.” She bit out, clearly struggling. He grinned and pulled back, keeping his finger still. “More what?” She scowled. “I’m not doing this. Just fuck me.” He laughed and shook his head, then added a second finger and started sucking her clit. She moaned loudly, rolling her hips to get closer to him. He teased a third finger near her entrance, swirling his tongue around her clit. “JJ - oh, fucking hell, I’m close,” she panted out, eyes squeezed shut. He pulled away quickly, not touching her at all. Charlie looked up in surprise. “JJ, what the hell?” 

He raised his eyebrows. “Ask for it.” 

She shook her head. “I’ll just do it myself.” 

He let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “Charlie. Ask for it.” 

She grinned. “No.” 

Before she could reach her hand down to touch herself, he slapped her hand away and gave in, putting his mouth back on her clit. “You’re too damn stubborn.” 

She could barely get out a laugh before it turned into a breathy moan. He picked up the pace and added a third finger, looking up to watch her climax. Charlie moaned, riding out her high as he slowed the pace. “Oh my god,” she breathed out. 

He was straining through his boxers just watching her come. “I hope to god you have a condom,” she mumbled, still catching her breath. JJ panicked and got up, digging through his pants pocket, his wallet, anything. “Uhh…” She sat up on her elbows and sighed. “Seriously?” 

“I didn’t know!” He exclaimed, coming up empty-handed. “There’s usually one in my wallet.” She shook her head, pointing to her purse. He scrambled to grab her purse and pulled the foil packet out. “Wait, why do you carry around a condom?” He asked curiously, holding it up between two fingers. “In case my idiot boyfriend wants to have sex and doesn’t have one,” she retorted, grinning. He beamed ear-to-ear. “Say that again.” 

“Idiot boyfriend.” 

JJ scowled. “No, not that.” 

Charlie rolled her eyes and shot him a glare, then put on a mock-sweet expression. “I wish my _boyfriend_ would just put on the condom already and fuck me.” 

JJ grinned and kicked off his underwear, then rolled the condom on. He climbed back on top of her, kissing her soundly. “Such a dirty mouth.” 

“You love it. I couldn’t have sucked your cock without it.” He groaned. “I thought about that all night, Charlie. That was so fucking hot.” Charlie pressed her hips against his. “JJ, if you don’t fuck me right now, I’m getting on top.” He smirked and grabbed both her wrists, holding them up above her head and she gasped, surprised. “Does that turn you on, pretty girl? Did you want that handcuff rumor to be true?” He teased, sliding his cock against her entrance. “Shut up, Maybank,” she muttered out, blushing. 

She thrust her hips up and he dropped one hand down to steady them, then slowly slid into her. He paused, letting Charlie adjust, and she let out a moan. “Okay.” He started thrusting into her, reaching a hand down to rub her clit at the same time. “Fuck, Charlie, you’re so tight.” He groaned into her ear. She lifted her legs, wrapping them around his waist to make him go deeper and he increased the pace. “JJ, I’m not gonna last,” Charlie mumbled against his shoulder. 

“Me either.” He murmured back, focusing on his pace. It only took a few more strokes until she was moaning into his skin, her nails dragging down his back. “Holy fuck, J!” He followed a few seconds later, collapsing against her. “I’m seeing stars.” She muttered, pressing her head back into the mattress. JJ panted hard and slipped out of her, getting up quickly to toss the condom then return to the bed. He laid next to her and pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist. 

“Are you good?” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. 

She laughed softly and turned to kiss him shortly. “I’m cool.” She teased. 

JJ scowled. “That was the best sex of your life and you know it.” 

Charlie grinned. “So presumptuous. Do you usually only last that long?” 

JJ raised his eyebrows, poking her side. “Hey! Not when I have you under me. Say it!” 

Charlie shrugged, holding back a smile. “It was cool.” 

JJ leaned in until he was two inches away from her face. “I swear to god, Charlie, if you don’t quit saying that…” 

Charlie raised her eyebrows, challenging him. “You’ll what? Ask me to be your girlfriend, sap?” 

He leaned in and bit gently at her bottom lip. “Exactly.” 

She giggled and nudged her nose against his. “That was the best sex of my life, Maybank.” 

He laughed. “That’s JJ to you, Walker.” She just grinned.

After they cleaned themselves up, Charlie went through JJ’s bag of clothes before he got out of the shower and pulled on his shirt he packed, then crawled into bed. He came out, still wet, with the towel hanging low on his hips. He immediately grinned. “Is that my shirt?” She nodded and pulled at the hem, moving to take it off. “Is that alright? I can put it back -” 

“No! Keep it on. I like it on you.” He dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of boxers, then walked over and got into bed with her. JJ draped his arm around her waist, pulling her close, and kissed her sweetly. “So. You meant that earlier, right?” Charlie traced her finger along his jaw. “Meant what?” 

He turned slightly red. “When you called me your boyfriend?” She nodded, smiling. “Yes, J.” He grinned. “So I can call you my girl?” Charlie laughed. “Yes you can. I’m gonna have to text Grace and tell her the fake boyfriend thing is off.” JJ gasped in mock disappointment. “You broke rule number one!” Charlie sat up on her elbows, shaking her head. “And I’m supposed to believe that you didn’t? You tell the Pogues everything!” He laughed. “Okay, okay, fine. I told them the day you made the rules. I think Kiara and John B owe Pope $20 now.”

“They _bet_ on us?” 

JJ smiled, sheepish. “Yeah. They bet on everything. Kie said you were too stubborn and wouldn’t give in, John B said he would only give it a month, Pope said we’d be dating by the end of the summer.” Charlie just shook her head, fighting a smile. “Kie almost had it right. I was going to break off the whole thing, I thought you just liked being around me and that was all.” 

“I thought you just liked hooking up with me!” JJ exclaimed. 

Charlie rolled her eyes. “We hardly hooked up, just made out. Plus I sucked you off and I didn’t get anything in return, I wouldn’t have done that just for kicks.” 

“You did it just for kicks freshman year in the sleeping dorms,” he pointed out with a grin. Charlie rolled her eyes again, sighing and getting out of bed. “Wait, where are you going?” 

“I’m sleeping in this bed. Alone.” She fought a smile as she got under the sheets of the other bed, facing away from him. 

It was hardly a minute before JJ launched himself on top of her, jumping from the other bed to hers. 

“Oof!” Charlie croaked out under his weight, giggling. “Maybank!” 

He sprawled out across her body. “Good night.” 

“No! What are you doing? You’re in trouble, stay in your bed.” She pointed, trying to wiggle out from under him. He laid there like dead weight on top of her. “No, I can’t be in trouble on our first day of officially dating. I wanna sleep with you.” She sighed and lifted up the corner of the sheet for him. “Fine. Get in. If you kick me in the middle of the night I’m moving.” He grinned and settled under the covers with her, pressing a kiss to her neck. 

“JJ.” She warned. He let his hand fall down to her leg and traced a finger up her inner thigh. “Yeah, Walker?” Her breathing became stilted and she grabbed at his hand, turning back toward him. He grinned. “I thought you liked teasing.” 

“Not when I’m on the other end of it!” She laughed. He smirked. “You’re not always going to get your way, pretty girl.” She shook her head. “Yes I am. I already know I have you wrapped around my finger.” He scowled, not denying it, and started inching up the hem of his shirt on her. “JJ, I’m going to fall asleep on you if you start something again,” she admonished, pulling the hem back down. 

He pretended to gasp. “I’m not entertaining enough for you?” She grabbed his forearm and flipped him onto his back, hovering over him. He swallowed hard, speechless, and she smirked. “If we go to sleep now, I can think of plenty of ways to wake you up.” He nodded slowly. She kissed him and he took that opportunity to flip them back over. “Only if I get to be in control.” She laughed. “We’ll see. Night, J.” He smiled and let her go, spooning her from behind. “Sweet dreams, girlfriend.” 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: NSFW SMUT, drinking, swearing, all characters are 21+

Charlie woke the next morning before JJ and smiled when she felt his strong arm wrapped protectively around her waist. She turned to face him and he mumbled, scowling in his sleep and pulling her back in. “Mmph. Charlie.” Charlie laughed, whispering back. “Yeah, J?” He opened his eyes slowly, blinking, then smiled sleepily. “Hi, beautiful.” Charlie smiled and gave him a short kiss on the lips. “Good morning, JJ. Your hair is a mess.” He scowled and pressed his hips into hers, nudging her nose with his. 

“That’s the first thing you have to say to me in the morning? Really, Walker?” She laughed and let her hand trail down to his waist. “Clearly that’s not the only thing I had to say hi to this morning.” The tips of his ears turned red and he laughed, sheepish. “Can you blame me? I was dreaming of this stunning girl all night.” Charlie grinned. “Yeah? What’s she like?” 

* * *

JJ smirked. “She has light brown hair, beautiful brown eyes, the prettiest lips, looks absolutely fucking gorgeous when she’s screaming my name with my cock buried in her…” Charlie blushed and shoved his shoulder lightly. “JJ, quit,” she admonished, although she was smiling ear-to-ear. He laughed and rolled on top of her, kissing her gently. “You can’t tell me that doesn’t turn you on.” Charlie bit her lip, thinking. “I...well..we have to check out soon, I think.” JJ brushed his thumb over her lips. “What time?” 

“We have an hour.” JJ grinned. “That sounds like more than enough time to take advantage of being alone in this hotel room.” Charlie rolled her eyes. “Are you ever not thinking about sex, Maybank?” He laughed and rested the lower half of his body weight onto her, his member pressing against her core. “The more we’re talking, the less we’re doing. Plus, it’s hard not to think about doing it when you look so sexy wearing my shirt.” 

“I’d probably look better with it off.” Charlie reasoned. JJ nodded, pushing up the hem of the shirt with his palm, running it along her body, until it was all the way above her exposed breasts. He leaned back, pretending to take a moment to survey her body. “Yeah, this is much better.” Charlie laughed and reached down, pulling the shirt off and tossing it aside. JJ met her lips in a soft kiss, much slower than the night before. 

His hands roamed, one entangled in her hair and the other tracing circles around her nipple. Charlie let out a breathy moan against his lips and he grinned, moving his kisses to her neck, sucking lightly. “JJ, if you leave a hickey like a damn teenager, I swear…” He laughed, continuing his ministrations. “Swear what? I want everyone to know you’re mine.” Charlie whimpered softly as he suckled at just the right spot. “So damn possessive.” JJ moved down her body, gripping her hip with one hand. “Damn straight.” He grazed his teeth across her nipples as they hardened and palmed one of her breasts. “See, they fit perfectly in my hand. We’re made for each other.” 

Charlie sighed in pleasure, letting her head fall back against the pillows. “You’re such a sap. I never thought you were the romantic type.” He lazily trailed his tongue across her nipple, flicking it with his tongue. “I’m not. But something about you makes me feel different.” He rubbed the pad of his thumb up and down her clothed heat as he continued playing with her breasts. Charlie gasped, bucking her hips up toward him and he grinned. “Charlie. Ask me what you want me to do.” Charlie whined quietly. “Maybank, come on.” JJ moved back up her body to kiss her, pressing his clothed hard-on against her. “That’s alright, I can tease.” Charlie pressed her hips into him to try and get some friction, but he pulled his hips away. “J, please.” She mumbled. “Please what?” He smirked, loving the upper hand. “I don’t know what you’re asking.” 

Charlie scowled. “Don’t play dumb, J, come on.” He just raised an eyebrow, giving her a short kiss. 

She bit her lip. “JJ.” 

He took her bottom lip in his teeth, tugging it out gently. “Don’t do that, that’s not fair.” 

Charlie laughed softly and bit her lip again, lifting her chin to challenge him. “That’s all I have to do for the upper hand, really?” 

JJ smirked and suddenly moved, pushing back the covers from her body. “No. I’ll show you the upper hand.” He knelt down and traced the tip of his tongue along the edge of her panties, by her inner thigh, and she gasped and immediately entwined her fingers in his hair. He reached up and pushed her hand away. “No. Don’t touch or I’ll stop.” He hooked his fingers in her underwear and pulled them off her legs, tossing them away. 

She groaned in frustration and he grinned up at her, smug. “You’re practically dripping for me, Walker. Seems like you like teasing after all.” Charlie reached for him again then sighed, dropping her head back. “JJ, please do something.” JJ kept his hand closed in a fist and ran his knuckles and the metal of his rings along her entrance, avoiding touching her clit. “Don’t worry, pretty girl. I got you.” Charlie shivered at the cool feeling. He traced his finger around, then slowly inserted one finger, curling it toward himself. At her satisfied moan, he continued his motions with another finger inserted. 

“Fuck, JJ,” she sighed, pushing her hips up to feel more. He used his free hand to hold her down. “JJ, hon -” He glanced up quickly, grinning at the nickname. “Patience, Walker.” Charlie shook her head. “No, JJ, I love this, I really do -” she inhaled sharply as he brought his thumb up to rub her clit, “- but, um, I…” She lost her train of thought, only able to focus on what his hand was doing to her. “What, Charlie?” 

She just pointed over at the clock, breathing hard. “We have fifteen minutes ‘til check out and if you leave me high and dry, I might lose it.” JJ laughed. “You’re definitely not dry.” She looked down at him, giving him an exasperated eye roll. “Maybank. Please. Grab the condom out of my bag and fuck me already.” JJ nodded and scrambled to get up, kicking off his boxers along the way. He found the foil packet and ripped it hurriedly, rolling it down his length. He crawled back onto the bed and Charlie reached her arms around his neck, pulling him close. 

He rocked against her entrance for a few strokes before entering her, groaning into her shoulder. “Fuck, Charlie, you feel so good.” She reached her hand down in between them, rubbing her clit. “Harder, J.” He obliged, snapping his hips against hers at a steady pace. She moaned loudly, closing her eyes. “I’m close already, I’m not gonna last.” He chuckled into her ear, softly. “Well we only have about ten minutes, so we’re gonna have to make this quick.” She wrapped one leg around his waist, making him go deeper, and gasped as he hit the right spot. “Oh my god, JJ!” She moaned out as she came, clenching around him. JJ leaned down to kiss her as she rode out her high. “Charlie - can I -” he panted out, pausing his motions. She nodded. “Yeah, I want you to come.” 

JJ groaned in frustration as she pulled away from him. “What are you - Charlie, please.” Charlie grabbed his wrists and rolled them over so she was on top. “Trust me.” She straddled him, moaning in pleasure as she felt him filling her up again, then started rocking her hips against his. He sat up and gripped her hips, meeting her thrusts. “Holy shit, Walker.” She steadied herself with her hands on his chest. “Come for me, JJ,” she coaxed, biting her lip as she looked down at him. His pace grew more frantic as he reached his high, finally collapsing under her. JJ breathed hard, looking up at her in awe. “Oh my god. You are so fucking beautiful.” 

Charlie smiled and got off of him, taking a chance to catch her breath. He rolled over and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her close. She let herself rest against him for a minute then sighed. “J, we gotta go.” He groaned, nuzzling into her shoulder from behind. “Noooo.” She rolled over to face him and raised her eyebrow. “You wanna explain to my dad why he has a charge on the card for us not checking out in time?” He sighed dramatically. “Absolutely not. Fine, let’s go.” 

They both got up, throwing their clothes into their respective bags and pulling clothes on. Charlie paused, glancing around the room with her oversized shirt on. “JJ, where did you throw my underwear?” 

He looked around the room, running his hand through his hair. “Uhh..wait, what the hell is that?” He asked, eyeing the logos on her shirt. “Why are you wearing a fuckin’ shirt from Pike?” 

Charlie rolled her eyes. “JJ, now is not the time -” 

He was already pulling off his shirt. “Put this on.” 

Charlie laughed, not taking him seriously. “Oh my god, JJ, help me find my underwear!” 

He pulled on his dress shirt from the wedding, leaving it unbuttoned. JJ then glanced around the room and shrugged, not seeing it. “That doesn’t matter, what matters is I don’t want my girl in a shack shirt from _Pike_.” He shuddered saying the rival fraternity’s name and tugged up on her shirt, pulling it over her head. 

“JJ! You’re being ridiculous!” She giggled, wiggling away from him. 

He grabbed her around the waist before she could get away and pulled his own shirt on over her head. “There. Much better. Now we can leave.” He tossed the Pike shirt in the trash can. 

She sighed and complied, putting her arms through the sleeves and pulling on a pair of athletic shorts. “You’re buying me new underwear.” 

He grinned. “Can I pick out any kind?” 

She rolled her eyes. “We need to go.” He laughed and took her bag from her, leaving the room with her and speaking loudly as they walked down the hall and made their way to the car. “I’m thinking red...lacy...matching bra, of course.” She pushed him, just enough to knock him off balance. “JJ! Keep your voice down!” He chuckled, getting louder. “Maybe black? That’d be hot. The kind that’s sheer, so you can still see basically everything?” 

She turned bright red and quickened her pace to get away from him, but he just jogged to catch up and grabbed her around the waist, swinging her in a circle. She squealed, pushing at his hands. “JJ! Careful!” He set her down carefully and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna drop you.” He took the keys from her hand and put their bags in the trunk, then slid in the driver’s seat. “Will you come hang out with me and the Pogues later?” She nodded, squeezing his hand. “Of course I will.” 

_____

Later that day, Charlie met up with the Pogues to go out on the boat. She pulled up to the Chateau and JJ practically jumped out of his seat once he saw her, jogging over to greet her and walk her down the drive. They had been teasing him all morning because he couldn’t shake his grin from his face. “He’s gonna be screwed when this ends and they go back to school,” John B said, watching him from the porch with a skeptical expression. Pope shook his head. “They’ll work it out. Look at them.” He gestured, as the couple walked up to the group holding hands. 

“Hi, guys!” Charlie greeted, waving to everyone. “How was the wedding, Charlie? JJ said it was fun.” Kiara asked. Charlie grinned, a blush creeping across her cheeks as JJ pinched her side playfully. “You could call it that. Ready to go out on the water?” Kiara raised her eyebrows, confused, but got up with the boys. They all loaded onto the boat with beers supplied by Charlie. John B decided to test his friend, trying to get more information. “So, JJ, are you still following through with your plan for senior year?” Charlie raised her eyebrows at the blond sitting close to her, with his arm slung around her shoulders. “What plan?” 

Pope nodded, catching on. “His dumbass plan to hook up with a different girl every tailgate weekend.” Charlie crossed her arms, looking up at him as he stood and shot glares at his friends. “How exactly do you plan on executing that, Maybank?” JJ ignored her and scooped her up bridal-style, pretending not to hear her squeal. He stood at the edge of the boat, holding her over the water. 

Charlie put on a mock-sweet smile. “JJ?” 

“Yes, pretty girl?” 

“If you drop me in this water I will murder you in your sleep tonight.” She smiled, although her eyes told a different story. 

With that, he grinned and chucked her unceremoniously into the water. It only took a second of him laughing before she reached up and grabbed his ankle, yanking him into the water too. JJ grabbed her around the waist, pulling her in for a kiss. “Can I tell them, please?” He asked, tucking her hair behind her ear as they treaded water. The other Pogues watched curiously. “Tell us what?” Charlie laughed. “Go ahead.” 

JJ grinned and climbed up onto the boat with Charlie. “Charlie and I are dating.” Kiara paused, dubious. “Like...actually or just fake dating?” Charlie shook her head, smiling. “No, for real. I didn’t know how he felt about me until yesterday.” John B scoffed. “I told you to tell her earlier, JJ!” JJ rolled his eyes. “Whatever, shut up. We worked it out eventually.” Pope grinned, triumphant. “Ha! I knew it! You both owe me $20.” Kiara smiled at them. “I’m happy for you guys. But Charlie, the hickies all over your neck gave you away.” Charlie groaned and shoved JJ’s shoulder. “I told you not to leave a mark.” JJ grinned, brushing her hair back so they were visible across her neck. “Nah. I need everyone to know you’re mine, Walker.” 

_____

Charlie and Grace drove to the frat house together at the end of the summer. Charlie was there to help move JJ in, while Grace was there mainly to help order the pledges around, just for kicks. Honestly, her fling with the Beta president was more of a power trip for her than a series of sloppy tailgate trysts. Plus, it certainly helped with sorority-fraternity relations, as she was Kappa’s designated party planning chair. (Not officially, of course, she would never willingly take on that much responsibility.) They walked into the house, Grace strolling in like she owned the place while Charlie was a bit more reserved. 

JJ came bounding down the stairs once he got Charlie’s text as the two waited in the foyer. He had to be there a week early to help coordinate the pledges, staying at a friend’s apartment. It had been the longest the two had been apart all summer and JJ made it clear that he missed her like hell. (Charlie just teased him through text, not admitting how much she missed him too but he could tell. He could always tell.) He grinned when he saw her and wrapped her in a bear hug, kissing her sweetly. “Hi Walker. Missed you.” Charlie laughed and held him for a beat longer than normal, loving his affection. “Missed you too, J.” He released her from the hug but moved his arm to her waist, facing Grace. “Hi Grace. Why are you here?” 

Grace grinned. “What, no hug for me? I missed you so much,” she teased, ducking out from under him as JJ reached out to tousle her hair. “I’m helping your dear old president. And I need to establish myself with the pledges. They’re not scared of me yet.” JJ rolled his eyes. “Right, of course. Can’t have another one questioning you when you’re walking around uninvited at 3am on a Wednesday.” 

She nodded, seriously. “Exactly. Now look, Maybank, I kinda like you now -” 

“Aw, Evans, you’re finally admitting your love for me?” 

She rolled her eyes. “Shut the fuck up.” He just grinned and Charlie laughed. “I feel like you’ve changed and you treat Charlie well. But if you hurt my girl, I won’t hesitate to castrate you in the middle of the night. I know where you sleep.” 

“Grace! Chill!” Charlie exclaimed, shaking her head. JJ laughed and leaned over and kissed Charlie’s cheek. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her.” He smiled. “Come on, Charlie, I need your help bringing things in from the car.” Charlie nodded, waving goodbye to Grace as she set off to torment a handful of 18-year-olds. 

JJ kept his arm around her shoulders or her hand in his at all times, when she wasn’t helping haul furniture into their room. (His hand moved to her back pocket when they passed two of her previous hookups in the hallway.) Thanks to his position as social chair and his senior status, he was one of three boys in the house that got their own room. After finishing the move, Charlie flopped back onto his bed, pulling up the hem of her shirt to wipe her sweaty face. “It’s nice that you have your own room, J, but good god, there is no circulation up here.” 

He laid down next to her and leaned over, pressing an open-mouthed kiss on her chest. She pushed his head away, pulling her shirt back down. “Come on, pretty girl, give a little.” He persisted. “Maybank, I am not having sex with you when there’s sixty parents moving their freshmen in today.” He laughed and resorted to kissing her cheek. “We need to christen the room somehow, Walker.” She rolled her eyes. “Not today.” He grinned and sat up quickly. “Oh! I forgot, I need to show you one last part of the house.” He stood, pulling her up off the bed by taking both of his hands. Charlie looked confused. “I’ve already seen the whole house, JJ, you’re acting like I’ve never been here before.” He shook his head. “No, you’ve never seen this.” 

He brought her down into the kitchen, where a large bulletin board was displayed with several flyers and random announcements pinned up. He smirked as he pointed to a piece of paper that had JJ’s thick scrawl written on it. Charlie raised her eyebrow, getting closer to read it. It read ‘ _OFF LIMITS: CHARLIE FUCKING WALKER_ ’ in big black lettering. Charlie laughed and reached up to take it down, but JJ smacked her hand away. “You’re ridiculous.” She said, kissing him anyway.

He just grinned. “I told you I would put you on your own list.” 

**Author's Note:**

> thank ya for reading! more is on my tumblr, @moldisgoodforyou - just wanted to post here to see if it might drum up some more interest.


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